


Life's a Beach, Enjoy the Waves

by flower_girl



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Family, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Romance, Vacation, single parents! kaisoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-03 01:40:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13330773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flower_girl/pseuds/flower_girl
Summary: Jongin and Kyungsoo end up on a tropical island due to the meddling behavior of their family and friends. Both of them have no idea what’s going on but hey, at least their kids are enjoying it.





	Life's a Beach, Enjoy the Waves

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pandacakes (jeggnog)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeggnog/gifts).



> Author note: To my dearest recipient, I hope this fic lives up to your lovely little prompt! I had a lot of fun writing it and it was a wonderful first fest experience for me! Also tons of hearts for my friends R and T for helping me with this fic and hearts for the wonderful mods who were super flexible with me.

 

 

Jongin thought he knew what sweat was, being a professional athlete and everything, but man was he sweating like no tomorrow as he hauled his gigantic suitcase behind him across the hot pavement. His three-year-old son, Shikyung, was balanced on his hip, the little boy deep asleep with his fleece blanket suffocating Jongin’s neck. Why they even brought the damn thing all the way to a tropical island, Jongin had no idea but now they were stuck with it and the dad could only hope that they wouldn’t lose it. Shikyung’s backpack was strapped across Jongin’s back and he also had a shoulder bag slung across his chest. Jongin usually got cold on plane rides and wore sweats to keep himself warm but that was a big mistake this time. The moment he had stepped out of the air-conditioned airport into the tropical climate of the luxurious island they were staying at, the heat wave had hit him so hard and the sweat came down like rain. One of the valets at their resort had offered to drag his suitcase for him but Jongin declined, seeing that a family of six behind them needed more help.

The automatic doors to the lobby of the resort slid open and a blast of cool air chilled the sweat off of Jongin’s tanned skin. His shirt was sticking to him and Shikyung’s weight wasn’t making it any better but he felt better knowing that a room was waiting for them and hopefully food too. They had just gotten off an eight-hour flight and Jongin didn’t even know how he had managed to make it through that with his antsy three year old and his picky food habits. Thankfully the line to check in was short and as Jongin approached a tiny woman behind the desk dressed smartly in the resort colors, he felt Shikyung stir awake and he kissed the side of his son’s sweaty hair.

“ _Checking in for Jongin Kim_ ,” he said in slightly accented English.

“ _Passport please_?” she asked sweetly. She tried cooing at Shikyung but the child just pouted and buried his head against his dad, still disorientated from the flight and nap. With one hand, Jongin tried to search his sweat pockets for his passport but then groaned when he realized he had put it in Shikyung’s backpack for safekeeping before the shuttle had picked them up from the airport.

“ _One second_ ,” he told the lady. He adjusted Shikyung in his arms so their foreheads were pressing together.

“Shikyung, dad has to put you down for a minute okay? I just have to find something and then we can go play,” he told his son softly.

“No!” the three year old protested, tightening his arms around Jongin’s neck and trying to lock his legs around his waist. Jongin let out a sigh before bending down to set Shikyung on the floor. The boy immediately burst into tears, circling his arms around Jongin’s long legs and begging to be picked back up. Jongin ignored him as he swung his backpack off and quickly searched for his passport. He handed it over to the lady and she looked it over quickly before handing it back to him.

“ _All good_ ,” she told him. Shikyung was crying hard now, his blubbering tears distracting Jongin as his tiny hands pinched at his father’s legs. Waking up from naptime was always hard for him and it was Jongin’s fault for letting him fall asleep on the shuttle ride.

“Shikyung be a good boy and let dad talk to the lady and then I’ll pick you up,” Jongin told him, trying to put his passport away again to get his hands free for the room card.

“ _Only half checking in right now_?” the lady asked. Shikyung was sitting on the floor now, kicking his legs and Jongin was mortified that his son would actually act out this way in public. People were starting to stare and Jongin didn’t want them thinking that he was a bad parent. He had enough of that speculation in the media.

“ _Yeah_ ,” he said distractedly as he swooped down to pick up the three year old and calm him down in his arms. Shikyung wrapped his arms around Jongin’s neck and hiccupped as Jongin patted his back comfortingly.

“ _Room 245_ ,” the lady handed him his keycard looking empathetically at Shikyung. “ _Seafood buffet is available for lunch_. _I’ll get someone to help you carry your luggage up_.”

“ _Thank you_ ,” Jongin said back, taking the keycard in his hand.

“ _Activities start tomorrow. The schedule is in your room_ ,” she told him as she waved over someone to help carry his suitcase up. “ _Please enjoy your stay_.”

 

 

The moment Jongin walked into the hotel room he dropped Shikyung onto the fluffy, white, king-sized bed and thanked the bellhop for helping with the luggage. Shikyung was in a much better mood now after the _exhilarating_ elevator ride. He stood up and immediately began to jump on the bed, red flower petals flying into the air and a bunch of giggles spilling from his mouth. Jongin tipped his suitcase down and unzipped it to search for a pair of shorts and tank top. Once he was more comfortable, he swooped Shikyung off the bed and they took a quick tour of their room for the next two weeks. Their room had an entire wall made out of glass windows with a sliding door leading out to a marble balcony with a small pool outside. The balcony also overlooked one of the main beaches and the view was breathtaking to Jongin. He sort of wished that Shikyung was a little bit older to appreciate it too but he could soak in enough of the beauty for the both of them. The rest of their room had a small sitting area with a long, sleek couch and a small coffee table and TV. Then they had a full suite bathroom with a glass shower enclosure and a large round tub also suitable to be used as a hot tub. There was an unopened bottle of wine nestled in heart shaped dish next to the tub and Jongin eyed it oddly.

“Daddy, what this?” Shikyung asked from behind him. Jongin whipped around and found his three-year-old holding out an unopened box of condoms.

“Where did you get those from?” He asked, grabbing them quickly out of Shikyung’s hands. He definitely did not pack those, finding no need for them since he was going to be chasing after a three year old for most of this trip. He hasn’t laid since Shikyung had dropped into his life, dedicating all his time to his son and soccer and becoming way too friendly with his hand and imagination.

“Here!” Shikyung announced, showing Jongin an opened drawer next to the bed. “Present for daddy?” Jongin stuffed the box back into the drawer and closed it shut. Some couple must have left it during their stay and housekeeping didn’t catch it.

“Not a present,” He told Shikyung, sitting on the bed and lifting his son onto his knee. “Just an adult thing. Don’t touch it okay. It doesn’t belong to us.”

“Okay,” Shikyung nodded his head. Jongin chuckled at how adorable he was and kissed his forehead.

“You wanna send a picture to grandma?” Jongin asked. “Let her know that her boys made it here alive?”

“Grandma!” Shikyung cheered as Jongin pulled out his phone. When the camera flipped towards them, Shikyung automatically pulled his lips into a big smile, his eyes crinkly up as he made a little ‘v’ sign with his fingers. Jongin laughed before smiling too and snapping a quick picture.

 _Made it alive to the island! It’s beautiful! Will send more pics later._ He sent a message to his mother and sisters along with the photo as an attachment. It was about midnight in Korea so he wasn’t expecting a reply for a few more hours.

Jongin felt tired from the travel and he could do with a good nap but Shikyung had already taken his and would definitely not be okay with Jongin laying down for half an hour. The dad decided to suck it up and went to grab his and Shikyung’s swim trunks out of the suitcase. He would unpack everything else later. Right now they had a beach to hit and a seafood buffet to attack.

 

 

When the father and son returned to their room, they were both in extremely good moods. They had spent the rest of the afternoon at the buffet, where Shikyung fell in love with their chocolate fountain, and then they had checked out the beach. Jongin managed to grab a hold of some buckets and sand molds and they had built a pretty nice sand castle. The two had even found some pretty shells to decorate it with and just as Jongin was about to snap a picture to send to his family, Shikyung decided to jump on it and all Jongin got was a cheesy shot of his three year old Godzilla. They smelt like sea water and were covered sand and it was time for dinner so Jongin wanted them to shower and change and head down before calling it a night.

Shikyung was talking to him about his favorite TV show, one with a bunch of puppies acting as superheroes and Jongin was intently listening as he pressed the room card against the sensor on the door. The green button lit up and he pushed it open. He was expecting to see his suitcase still opened on the floor and the bed still messed up from where Shikyung had jumped on it. What he saw instead was another little boy sitting on the bed and staring straight at him with big, wide eyes.

“Friend!” Shikyung said, pointing at the boy and squirming in Jongin’s arm, wanting be let down. “Daddy look! Friend!” Out of shock, Jongin set Shikyung down and his son ran to the bed and grabbed the other little boy’s arm and shook it enthusiastically.

“My name is Shikyung!” He introduced himself. “I’m three years old! Hi friend!” The other boy looked a little traumatized by Shikyung’s straightforwardness and Jongin finally came to his senses and took a step forwards. The little boy got startled and looked at Jongin before he opened his mouth and began to cry, sad tears rolling down his face.

“Oh no,” Shikyung looked at Jongin, a frown on his face. “Friend is sad daddy.”

The sliding door to the balcony opened and a petite male with dark black hair, narrow shoulders, and a slim waist stepped into the room.

“Taejung?” The man called out worriedly as he reached for the boy on the bed. Taejung turned his body and thrust his arms out at the man who took him into his arms and began to rub his back soothingly.

“It’s okay,” the man calmed him down. “Daddy is right here. You’re okay.” The man made eye contact with Jongin and that’s when the athlete noticed that this man shared the same wide eyes with the little boy too.

“What are you doing in my room?” Jongin asked dumbly as he stared at the other father and son. The petite male’s face began to redden embarrassingly as he stopped bouncing his son.

“It seems as if we’ve been double booked,” he answered, gesturing to his luggage on the floor too. Double booked? That didn’t make sense to Jongin at all. His sisters had kindly made a reservation for him and Shikyung as a gift for their nephew. It was supposed to be an all-inclusive trip for just him and Shikyung. The hotel still had many rooms opened too. It was impossible for them to be double booked.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Jongin shook his head. “I checked the reservation and I have this room. We can go down to the lobby and figure this all out.”

“Were you aware that this room was specifically booked for a couple’s package?” the other man blurted out, face growing even redder and eyes not meeting Jongin’s.

“Couple’s package?” Jongin repeated, becoming more confused by the second.

“My friends wanted to be nice and told me they booked me and my son an all exclusive trip here for two weeks. They conveniently left out the fact that they had booked me into the couple’s package because it was highly discounted,” the man explained. Jongin’s face blanked at this and then he thought about it harder. He wouldn’t put it against his sisters to do something like that to him either. They had always been mischievous towards him and they could be cheap too.

“Ahh fuck,” he cursed out loud when he figured he might have been played by his two sisters once again.

There was a loud gasp from Shikyung. “Daddy bad word! You need to wash your mouth with soap!”

 

 

A trip down to the lobby with both children and a forty-minute conversation with the manager later didn’t seem to solve their problems either. It turned out that he and Kyungsoo, that was the other father’s name, were both booked for the same package together and registered as a couple. The package was expiring soon and was highly discounted and was sold as an individual set to two different groups of people: Kyungsoo’s meddling friends and Jongin’s annoying sisters. Both groups were aware that it was a couple package and just decided to leave out that fact when giving their generous gifts to the clueless recipients. Shikyung and Taejung were both under six so they counted as free with a paying adult. Jongin and Kyungsoo both asked if there was a way to get out of the couple’s package but the cancelation fee was high since they had already checked in and it turned out that every single room in the hotel was already booked for the next week. With a defeated sigh, both fathers decided to share the room together until another room opened up.

“I’m really sorry about this,” Jongin apologized as they took the elevator up. He was carrying Shikyung in his arms again, the three year old crabby from having to wait so long for the adults to talk. “My sisters are just crazy sometimes.”

“My friends are trouble too,” Kyungsoo grumbled. “They’re definitely getting an earful when they wake up.”

“No gifts for any of them,” Jongin agreed with a short, awkward laugh.

It was quiet as they approached the room together, Kyungsoo opening the door with his keycard. The lights flickered on and Kyungsoo went ahead to set Taejung down on the couch. Jongin stared at the mixture of luggage on the floor, his messy sweats and shirt laid out haphazardly while Kyungsoo’s stuff was still neatly together. Kyungsoo reached into his bag for two boxes of apple juice and he punched one open for Taejung before handing the other one to Shikyung who accepted it with glee.

“Shall we go to dinner then?” Jongin asked, noticing that his son was still in his swim trunks and had tracks of sand running up his legs. “Let us shower quickly and then we can head to the restaurant.” Apparently with the package, they had to check into almost every event as four or as two adults in order to get the all-inclusive deal.

“Okay,” Kyungsoo nodded his head. “Taejung and I will just be waiting here then.” Jongin nodded back before he awkwardly bent down to fish out some proper clothes for him and Shikyung to change into. He grabbed a pair of boxers and felt his face flush as he saw Kyungsoo turn his head and pretend to be occupied with Taejung instead. He didn’t know why he was so embarrassed to be just grabbing underwear because they both were guys but it was just something about the situation.

Their shower lasted longer than Jongin wanted it to. Shikyung was fascinated with the cool showerhead and housekeeping had given them shower crayons for the kids to play with and he had drawn squiggles all over the shower walls and glass shower door. When the two finally stepped out of the bathroom with damp hair and matching khaki shorts and white shirts, Taejung and Kyungsoo were sitting on the couch watching a show on Kyungsoo’s phone.

“All ready,” Jongin coughed to let them know they could go. He wondered if Kyungsoo recognized him. The other male hadn’t said anything yet but maybe he was just being nice about it. Jongin’s name was no stranger to bold headlines after the fiasco that happened three years ago. He had even come first in the year-end search rankings that time. His past was definitely something he was not proud of but Shikyung’s existence had changed him for the better. He was a better person now and he was still working on it every single day.

           

 

“Hungry?” Kyungsoo asked Taejung as they stood in the elevator, waiting to go down to the hotel’s five star restaurant.

“Chicken nuggets,” Taejung said back, nodding his head.

“I like chicken nuggets too!” Shikyung announced as he let go of Jongin’s hand and pranced over to where Taejung was standing. “And there’s lots of chocolate too! I _love_ chocolate!”

“I like chocolate too,” Taejung said back shyly as he swung Kyungsoo’s arm back and forth. He looked up at Kyungsoo as if asking for permission to be Shikyung’s friend.

“You can play with him, baby,” Kyungsoo nodded. “Shikyung can be your new friend.”

“Friend!” Shikyung shrieked excitedly. The elevator dinged then and stopped at the restaurant floor and the group of four headed to the check in desk.

“Party of four from room two forty five,” Jongin nodded at the waitress. She checked them off her list before they were directed towards a little booth. Everything was buffet style and he let Kyungsoo go get food for himself and Taejung first.

“Taejung how old are you?” Jongin asked as he opened a pack of crayons for the boys to share on their complimentary coloring pages.

“Three,” the boy answered, holding up three little fingers.

“Just like Shikyung,” Jongin smiled at him, ruffling his son’s hair. He felt bad for making Taejung cry during their first meeting and he hoped that the boy didn’t have a negative impression of him.

“Do you like swimming? We can go swimming tomorrow. Today Shikyung and I built a really cool sandcastle at the beach. We can do that again too,” Jongin tried to engage him in conversation.

“Only if daddy goes too,” Taejung nodded his head shyly. He was a complete daddy’s boy, just like Shikyung was. Kyungsoo came back at the moment, two full plates of food and as he sat down, Jongin got up to get food for his own son.

He came back with his own food and another plate full of chicken nuggets and crab legs because those were the only two things Shikyung said he wanted to eat and found that Shikyung and Kyungsoo had traded spots so that the two boys were sitting together and sharing food off of one plate as they intensely colored a race car together.

“They wanted to sit next to each other,” Kyungsoo said nervously as Jongin slid next to him. “I hope that’s okay.”

“Yeah it’s fine,” Jongin nodded. It was awkwardly silent for a few minutes again as the two adults ate and watched the kids color and talk about their favorite TV shows. Jongin noticed that Shikyung was the louder one and Taejung was quiet but his facial expressions spoke for him. Neither kid knew how to color inside the lines yet.

“So why are you here on vacation?” Jongin asked suddenly, wanting to find out more about the other dad.

“It’s a graduation gift from my friends,” Kyungsoo answered.

“Oh congratulations,” Jongin said. Kyungsoo looked young to be a single father but Jongin didn’t realize that he was a fresh college graduate.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo replied with a shy smile. “It took me a little longer than expected but I finished.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what was your major?” Jongin asked.

“English,” Kyungsoo answered. “I’ll be teaching at a high school starting next term so that will be quite different. Why are you two on vacation?”

“I’m a pro athlete,” Jongin answered, gauging Kyungsoo’s reaction.

“You’re a forward on Seoul United,” Kyungsoo said with a brief nod. Jongin’s eyes widened at this. So Kyungsoo did know who he was.

“My brother was a fan,” Kyungsoo explained.

“It’s off season,” Jongin continued to talk, “and I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with Shikyung during the season so my sisters booked this lovely trip for us to just relax.”

“Shikyung doesn’t stay with you during the season?” Kyungsoo asked.

“He does,” Jongin nodded, “but with training and games, my mom ends up looking after him more. I can usually put him to bed and wake him up in the mornings but that’s it. I missed him a lot, especially during traveling games so this trip was supposed to be us catching up on lost time.”

“It was sweet of your sisters to do this for you,” Kyungsoo told him, looking over at the two boys. They were still chatting, chicken nugget crumbs all over their mouths.

“Your friends sound super cool too, for booking you this trip,” Jongin said. Even though the package was discounted it was still quite expensive. Jongin loved his friends and teammates too but he didn’t know if he would ever buy them an expensive vacation package.

“They really are great,” Kyungsoo nodded, his eyes full of admiration as he thought of his friends. “They helped me a lot with Taejung. I don’t know where I would be without them.”

“Well I guess we wouldn’t be stuck on this island together if it weren’t for them,” Jongin chuckled. They were both waiting to find out if that had been a good thing or a bad thing.

 

 

“We can take the couch,” Kyungsoo said as he stood by the foot of the bed, Taejung in his arms. Shikyung had already flopped onto the king bed and snuggled up into a pillow. Jongin was also awkwardly standing by the bed, his hands tucked into his short pockets. He felt bad that Kyungsoo and Taejung wouldn’t get a bed during their vacation but he didn’t know what else to do. They obviously weren’t comfortable enough with each other to share a bed. Jongin would offer to let Taejung share the bed with Shikyung too but then that would leave him with no place to sleep either.

“Are you sure?” Jongin asked. “I’m sure we can figure something else out. I don’t want you two sleeping on the couch for a week.”

“It’s fine,” Kyungsoo shook his head. “Taejung and I can handle it. Shikyung already looks comfortable.”

“I still feel bad,” Jongin trailed off, looking back and forth between Shikyung and Kyungsoo.

“Please don’t, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said. “Taejung and I will be okay. We’ve slept on worst before.” Jongin frowned, not liking the thought of Taejung and Kyungsoo sleeping on even worse than a couch.

“Take that worried look off your face,” Kyungsoo laughed. “We just ended up crashing on my friend’s floor a few times because our heater broke in the winter. It’s not all bad.”

“Okay,” Jongin gave in reluctantly. He would think of other ways to make Kyungsoo and Taejung more comfortable tomorrow.

“We’ll go shower now,” Kyungsoo gestured towards the bathroom. “I’ll try to keep it quiet so you and Shikyung can sleep peacefully.” Shikyung was already knocked out and Jongin truthfully felt tired too. He watched as Kyungsoo and Taejung slipped into the bathroom and closed the door, light peeking out from the crack at the bottom. With a sigh, Jongin grabbed some extra pillows off of the bed and placed them on the couch before grabbing two blankets out from the linen closet. He unfolded them and laid them out nicely before switching on a lamp for the other two. Then he turned off the main light and got into bed with Shikyung. His three year old seemed to sense his warmth and snuggled closer to him in his sleep. Jongin kissed his head before closing his eyes too. He was going to make this the best vacation for them.

 

 

The morning was an awkward rush of getting everyone ready to go for their first activity. Despite falling asleep first, Jongin and Shikyung had woken up the latest, the sound of Taejung and Kyungsoo brushing their teeth in the bathroom waking them up. Shikyung had merely sat up for a moment before flopping back down onto a pillow, his hair sticking up in too many directions for Jongin to even count. The dad got up and shuffled to the bathroom to see Kyungsoo standing in front of the mirror in his blue boxers and a white t-shirt brushing his teeth while Taejung sat bright eyed on the sink counter and was brushing his little teeth too, eyes following his father’s and mimicking Kyungsoo’s brushing habits. Jongin thought it was oddly domestic and he felt his heart warm a little.

“Good morning,” he announced his presence softly as he leaned against the door. Kyungsoo turned towards him and his eyes grew wide as he acknowledged Jongin before ducking his head to spit out the toothpaste and rinse out his mouth. Taejung saw this and he ducked his head to spit too and Kyungsoo barely dodged a goop of toothpaste ending up on his neck.

“I’m sorry,” the other dad apologized as he wiped his mouth with a hand towel and wiped Taejung’s face too. “That was really gross of us.”

“No big deal,” Jongin shrugged. “We all brush our teeth.”

“We’ll be done with the bathroom after we change. Then you guys can use it,” Kyungsoo offered, grabbing Taejung by the armpits to set him back on the floor.

“I think we’re swimming in the bay today,” Jongin told him, remembering the quick glance he took at their schedule yesterday. “Swim trunks and an extra pair of clothes will be the way to go.”

“Thank you, Jongin,” Kyungsoo smiled at him. Jongin couldn’t help but smile back, admiring how nice and white Kyungsoo’s teeth were. He wondered if Kyungsoo had braces when he was younger or if his teeth were naturally straight. He wondered if Kyungsoo was straight. He did have a biological son after all.

Jongin stood there dumbly for a few seconds more before he realized that Kyungsoo was waiting for him to leave so he could shut the door and change. He let out an awkward little laugh before slowly backing away. Kyungsoo was still smiling softly but it was Taejung who had slammed the door shut in Jongin’s face. He could hear Shikyung lightly snoring again from the bed and he let out a sigh, knowing that drastic measures would have to be taken to wake his son up.

A few minutes later and bunch of tickles and face nuzzles, Shikyung was finally up and he was hopping by the bathroom, trying his best not to pee in his pants. Potty training had been hell for Jongin but Shikyung was good now. Jongin was searching through their suitcase for a new pair of swim trunks and extra clothes to change into later. They would eat breakfast first before heading out for their _Discovery Bay_ day. The four of them would be able to swim with some tropical fish, pet stingrays, and explore some other sea life. They also had a private swim with the dolphins session that Jongin was excited about.

Kyungsoo and Taejung exited the bathroom in their swim trunks and white shirts and Shikyung darted in and hopped around some more, still too short to sit on the toilet and not tall enough to stand and not spray everywhere. Jongin chuckled and helped him on the toilet.

 

 

The water was cold as Jongin dipped his toe in but Shikyung was already wading through the shallow pool, water level coming up to his hip as he tried chasing after the gliding stingrays. The three year old had on a red life jacket and his picture ID was clipped onto it with a barcode containing Jongin’s (and Kyungsoo’s information) in case he got lost. Taejung was in Kyungsoo’s arms clinging onto his father and refusing to look down at the water.

“They’re not scary baby,” Kyungsoo tried to talk to him. “They won’t hurt you.”

“Stingrays STING,” Taejung said loudly as he shook his head and buried it into Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

“These guys don’t sting,” Kyungsoo told him softly.

“No,” Taejung refused to be set down as he locked his arms around Kyungsoo. “I don’t want to be here.” Jongin took a glance at Shikyung to make sure he was okay, the kid was still chasing the stingrays around and splashing water all over the place, before he made his way to Kyungsoo and Taejung.

“Shikyung is having a lot of fun out there,” Jongin told Taejung as he circled around them and bent down a little so he was eye level with the boy. “I bet he’ll have even more fun if you’re out there with him.”

“Is he getting stinged?” Taejung asked, big eyes growing wide with worry. Jongin shook his head and let out a small laugh.

“He’s not getting stung,” he told Taejung. “You won’t get stung either. I promise you,” he held up his pinky finger and Taejung eyed it coldly, not quite willing to trust him yet.

“How about I go in the water and show you that they won’t sting me,” Kyungsoo suggested. “Then you can come in too and we’ll all have fun together.” Taejung looked at his dad now, hesitance in his eyes before he nodded slowly. They could all hear Shikyung’s laughter and splashes in the background.

“I can hold him for a bit,” Jongin coughed as he straightened his back. Kyungsoo gave him a slight nod before he handed Taejung over. The three year old tensed as Jongin held him, his bulky red lifejacket pressing against Jongin’s bare chest. Jongin watched as Kyungsoo waded in the water towards Shikyung who had a whole fever of stingrays surrounding him. Jongin stared at Kyungsoo’s pale back and wondered how someone could have such soft, smooth looking skin. The other father had slathered sunscreen on himself and the two kids right after they all took off their shirts. It would’ve have been awkward for him to apply sunscreen on Jongin too, so Jongin sprayed himself down.

Shikyung was now excitedly showing off his new stingray friends to Kyungsoo and Jongin could faintly hear him shouting out names. Jongin wanted to roll his eyes. It was just like Shikyung to start naming the stingrays.

“Look, your dad and Shikyung are having so much fun,” Jongin pointed out to Taejung. The little boy was staring out at the pool, his lips pursed and his eyes blank. He had somewhat relaxed but was still stiff in Jongin’s arms. “See your dad is petting that stingray. It’s not hurting him.” Kyungsoo was stroking the back of a stingray and the smile on his face was so bright and fascinated.

“Taejung, it’s not scary,” Kyungsoo called out towards them.

“Come in here!” Shikyung demanded as he splashed his hands down on the water. “It’s so cool!”

“Let’s go?” Jongin asked him softly. Taejung stared some more at his dad and new friend and then he gave the slightest nod of his head. Jongin moved to put him down but Taejung grabbed onto his arm and squeezed tightly. Jongin lifted him back up and began to wade into the pool. The water was still a bit cold but he quickly adjusted to it and walked over to where Shikyung and Kyungsoo were. He stuck out his hand and felt a stingray dash under it and smiled in awe too. He was actually in a pool with stingrays. He stood holding Taejung for a few more minutes as the boy adjusted to the environment, his eyes nervously darting every time a stingray came too close. He slowly loosened up though and became more comfortable with Jongin until he murmured a single _down_ and Jongin gently set him in the water. Taejung trembled a bit as a stingray came gliding towards him and he grabbed onto Jongin’s leg. Jongin patted his head and stroked his hair comfortingly.

“They just want you to pet them,” Jongin told him, bending down, “like this.” He stroked at the stingray’s back and Taejung took out a finger and poked at it.

“Feels funny,” he commented as he poked at it again.

“It’s not scary right?” Jongin asked him. Taejung shook his head, pretending to be brave but then he flinched a bit when Shikyung came splashing towards them all of a sudden.   

“I want to go deeper!” Shikyung announced as he tugged on Jongin’s hand. Kyungsoo appeared next to them too and grabbed Taejung’s hand.

“Shikyung we can’t go any deeper,” Jongin shook his head. The stingray pool was relatively shallow, the water only coming up to the boys’ hips. “We can go to the Grand Reef later and swim deeper with the fishies.”

“Will there be sharks?” Shikyung asked. Jongin saw Taejung’s eyes worry again and he had to make a quick decision. He knew that they did have small harmless sharks in the reef pool but also a few sharped tooth ones behind glass windows underneath the water. He didn’t want to scare Taejung but he didn’t want to lie to him either.

“There are baby sharks,” Jongin nodded. “They won’t hurt you though,” he added looking at Taejung. “We don’t have to go see them.”

“Baby sharks like me!” Shikyung got even more excited as he began to hum that children’s song that every waddling toddler seemed to be obsessed with this year. “Me and Taejung are baby sharks and daddy is the daddy shark!”

“I have a daddy shark too,” Taejung added in shyly as he looked up at Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo nodded his head back at him.

“We have two daddy sharks!” Shikyung announced proudly. Jongin worried a bit about Kyungsoo’s reaction to that statement but Kyungsoo didn’t seem to show any sign of discomfort so he let it go.

“Let’s spend a little more time with the stingrays and then we can go see the fishies. We get to feed the birds and otters later too,” Kyungsoo told the boys.

“Taejung come with me,” Shikyung grabbed the boy’s hand and tugged him towards where the stingrays were gathered around a trainer feeding them. Kyungsoo and Jongin watched as the two kids bumbled around in the water and Jongin found himself sitting down, the water washing up his abs and settling down. Kyungsoo sat down too and a rush of rays came towards them and tickled their bare skin.

“Thank you for helping Taejung out,” Kyungsoo said as let his palm dust over the back of a ray. “He’s a scaredy cat sometimes. I’m hoping he’ll outgrow it and not be so timid anymore.”

“It’s okay to be scared,” Jongin nodded, understanding Kyungsoo’s worries though. Jongin had been a lot like Taejung when he was young too. He was shy and afraid of people and bugs, okay he was still afraid of bugs. He had outgrown it and was now even voted as one of the most confident men of Korea but he could relate to Taejung completely.

“It’s okay to be scared,” Kyungsoo repeated, “but I don’t want him to be mistreated because of it. I don’t want him to turn out like me.”

“What are you talking about?” Jongin asked, quirking his eyebrows up. “You seem just fine to me Do Kyungsoo,” he teasingly elbowed Kyungsoo’s side to lighten up the mood.

“I’m fine now,” Kyungsoo nodded, his eyes concentrated on the kids. Taejung was the one jumping up and down excitedly now as the trainer handed him some dried shrimp to feed the stingrays. Jongin didn’t press for any more information. He and Kyungsoo barely knew each other, only tied together by this trip, but whenever the other male felt comfortable with him, he would be there with open ears. Jongin knew what it was like to feel completely awful about yourself. He didn’t know Kyungsoo’s story but whatever it was, he wouldn’t judge.

After the boys finished feeding the rays, they went to the Grand Reef to swim with the tropical sea animals. Even just staring above the water, they could see the rainbow of colors that exploded below them. Taejung and Shikyung both had basic swimming lessons so they were okay with floating above the water and staring at the fish through their bulky goggles but when they wanted to go in deeper, Jongin and Kyungsoo had to hold them. They dove down to see the sharks inside the safety of the glass walls and even Taejung had put on a brave front and stayed under water long enough for them to get a nice picture together. They all looked pretty funky with their bulky goggles and matted down hair but it was a cute picture and Jongin wondered if it would be weird for him to hang it up when he got home.

After swimming, they took a break for lunch and ate at the family friendly restaurant at the bay. The boys had chicken tenders and fries with chocolate milk while Jongin ordered a bacon burger and Kyungsoo got chicken wings. They ended up sharing their meals because Taejung wanted some of Jongin’s burger and Shikyung apparently was a chicken fanatic. The fries were deliciously crisp too and for some reason the ketchup seemed tastier than normal and Jongin and Kyungsoo picked them off the boy’s plates when they weren’t looking. The two children had known each other for less than 24 hours but they already seemed to be good friends. They chattered about everything and Kyungsoo was quite happy to see Taejung coming out of his shell. He was a reserved child and only had two kids he regularly played with around their apartment complex.

Once the boys had each finished their chocolate chip cookies, they were off to feed some animals in the tropical aviary. It was Shikyung’s turn to be scared once a parrot landed on his shoulder to eat off of Jongin’s palm. He screeched as the red bird hopped down his arm and Taejung held out his own finger and the parrot hopped onto him instead. After that encounter, Jongin ended up carrying Shikyung throughout the rest of the exhibit, only putting him down when they stopped to feed the otters and some miniature deer and pigs wandering the forest. Afterwards they headed to the aquarium and were able to see the sharks more closely along with other fish, jellyfish, and some pretty old turtles.

“Daddy why isn’t he saying ‘duuuude?” Taejung asked Kyungsoo as he pointed at a sea turtle that had just crawled out of the water and was now resting on the makeshift beach.

“What do you mean baby?” Kyungsoo asked as he wrinkled his nose.

“Like Crush! From Nemo!” Taejung pointed out.

“Silly boy, turtles don’t talk in real life,” Kyungsoo smiled. “That’s just a movie.”

“I can speak whale!” Shikyung announced excitedly.

“Oh Shikyung, please don’t,” Jongin was already holding his hand up to his head in embarrassment, hoping that his son wouldn’t do the awful imitation.

“Heeeeellloooooooo,” Shikyung opened his mouth slowly and stretched out his vowels for as long as he could while also making his voice as deep as it could go. Taejung and Kyungsoo laughed and Taejung began to speak whale too as the four of them moved onto the next exhibit. The two boys spoke in whale throughout the rest of their aquarium tour and then began to make up their own babbling alien language and Jongin and Kyungsoo were highly amused at how simply entertaining children could be.

“They’re so weird,” Jongin snickered as the two boys played on the tiny indoor penguin themed playground that was installed next to the penguin exhibit. They were hopping around like little penguins and sliding on their bellies down the slide.

“They are,” Kyungsoo agreed with a chuckle as he snapped a picture of them at the foot of the slide. “They’re so cute too.”

“He looks just like you,” Jongin commented, eyes switching from watching the boys to looking at Kyungsoo. They were all still just in their swim shorts and Kyungsoo had his arms crossed over his naked chest.

“I hope that’s a compliment,” Kyungsoo said with a quirk of his lips.

“It is,” Jongin nodded. “It’s good that he looks like you.”

“I like that he looks like me,” Kyungsoo nodded. “If he looked like his other dad, raising him wouldn’t have been as easy.”

“Did you carry?” Jongin asked carefully. It was a sensitive topic for some reason and he didn’t want to offend Kyungsoo.

“Nine months,” Kyungsoo nodded, not looking upset or anything.

“You probably know all about how Shikyung came into existence,” Jongin said, looking back at his floppy haired son who was now trying to push Taejung on a swing. The news media had gone crazy with reporting on Jongin’s every move. He had tried his best to keep Shikyung away from that for the past three years though.

“I think everyone who had internet connection in Korea knew about Shikyung,” Kyungsoo agreed, not sounding judgmental though. “You were leading every headline for weeks at a time.”

“I’ve changed,” Jongin felt the need to clarify and defend himself. “I’m not that way anymore. I’m not a bad person anymore.”

“I never said you were bad,” Kyungsoo said softly, looking Jongin calmly in the eyes. “You may have been immature and reckless but I don’t think you were bad.”

“Daddy I want to go swimming!” Taejung ran towards them and held onto Kyungsoo’s leg. Kyungsoo swooped him up and balanced him on his hip. Shikyung came running afterwards and attacked Jongin’s leg too.

“Do we get to meet the dolphins yet?” he asked as he bounced on his little heels. “I want to go meet the dolphins!” Jongin glanced at his watch and noted the time.

“We still have to wait forty five minutes until it’s our turn to go meet the dolphins,” he told Shikyung.

“Is that longer than five minutes?” Taejung asked, cocking his head to the side.

“It’s a lot longer than five minutes baby,” Kyungsoo laughed at his son’s cuteness, kissing his head. “We can go find something fun to do while we wait.”

“Let’s go swimming then,” Jongin decided. There was a small waterpark with water slides and a tropical lazy river. They could go on a few slides before chilling in the river.

When they finally got to meet the dolphins, both boys were feeling ready for a nap but Jongin had caved in and got them all ice cream to boost their energy levels up for just a little longer. The little beads of their dipping dots were melting all over the boy’s faces but Kyungsoo had some wet wipes packed in his swim bag to scrub their sticky lips.

“It’s our turn!” Jongin cheered excitedly once they were finally standing on the deck of the pool that the dolphins were in. Both boys, high off their sugar rush, were bouncing on their toes and pointing at the dolphin that they were assigned to. She was playing in the pool with a trainer, squirting water at him and laughing with her high pitched squeal.

“I can copy her daddy,” Shikyung poked at his leg. He opened his mouth and did an imitation of a dolphin squeal that made Kyungsoo and Taejung laugh. Jongin shook his head in embarrassment again. Shikyung always did the most extra things.

The trainer lifted himself out of the pool and introduced himself to Jongin and Kyungsoo before beginning to explain their session in English. The two parents translated the necessary parts to the boys but otherwise things were very simple. Their dolphin’s name was Apollo. Why a female dolphin was named after a Greek sun god, Jongin had no idea but the trainer said she was gentle with children and would be good with the boys.

First Apollo and the trainer showed them some neat tricks in the water and Shikyung and Taejung got to reward her with fish from silver bucket. They were all sitting on the edge of the pool deck, legs dangling in the water and Jongin snapped a picture of the other three, watching the small performance in awe. The boys had their red lifejackets strapped onto them again and Jongin was grateful for that because with each new trick, their upper bodies were leaning further and further into the pool and it was only a matter of time before one of them fell in.

After the performance, Apollo swam towards them and they all got to stroke her rubbery skin and feed her some of the fish. The boys had a mini conversation with her, mimicking her little squeaks and noises. They played games with Apollo after that. The boys tossed weighted rings to the bottom of the pool and she would find them and return them. Kyungsoo and Jongin got to throw bigger rings up into the air and Apollo would leap out of the water and through them.

“Daddy, I want a dolphin,” Shikyung begged as their session was about to end.

“Shikyung, where would we keep a dolphin?” Jongin asked him.

“In the bathtub!” He said. “She can swim with my bath toys!”

“I want one too!” Taejung whined at Kyungsoo.

“Honey, she can’t live in our bath tub,” Kyungsoo shook his head. “That’s not enough room for her. We’ll just come back and visit her here.”

“We’ll come back here?” Taejung asked. Jongin saw Kyungsoo’s face contort, the other dad realizing he just made a promise that would be hard to keep but he shook his head instead.

“When you’re older and we have time, we’ll come back,” Kyungsoo said.

“Daddy, us too!” Shikyung demanded, looking Jongin dead in the eye.

“Yes, Shikyung,” he ruffled his son’s wet hair. “We’ll come back in the future.”

“With Taejung and his daddy too!” Shikyung added.

“Yeah!” Taejung parroted. Jongin and Kyungsoo eyed each other, not sure what to say.

“Are you guys ready to swim with the dolphins?” the trainer interrupted them. The two parents seemed to let out a breath of relief at the trainer’s words and they slipped into the pool first. Then the boys jumped in, being caught by each father.

“Who wants to go first?” the trainer asked.

“Me! Me! Me!” Shikyung raised his hand excitedly, nearly leaping out of Jongin’s arms. Apollo swam by them and Taejung stiffened in Kyungsoo’s arms. She was a lot bigger in the water and the three year old was suddenly wary.

“You want to watch Shikyung do it first?” Kyungsoo asked him. “It’s not scary baby. Apollo is really nice, remember?” Taejung nodded shyly but he clung onto Kyungsoo a little tighter.

“Okay come here, little dude,” the trainer reached his hands out for Shikyung who went to him easily. He helped Shikyung hold onto Apollo’s dorsal fin and then with a whistle signal from the trainer, Apollo was gliding through the pool with Shikyung hanging onto him. The little boy had the widest smile on his face and he kept on looking back at Jongin to make sure he was watching.

“Don’t let go, Shikyung,” Jongin called out to him.

“See, it’s fun,” Kyungsoo was talking to Taejung. “She won’t hurt you.”

“Hold on tight?” Taejung asked.

“Yup, just hold on tight,” Kyungsoo nodded.

“Okay,” Taejung nodded back, biting down on his lower lip.

Apollo and Shikyung glided back towards them and he was incredibly giddy, his eyes bright and wide.

“Daddy, did you see me!” he asked.

“Yes,” Jongin chuckled. “You looked so cool!”

“It’s time for you to kiss Apollo!” the trainer told Shikyung. Shikyung was lifted off the dolphin and the trainer was making sure he was treading water okay. Jongin had his camera ready to take a snapshot of the moment.

“On the count of three, Apollo is gonna kiss you, okay?” the trainer said.

“Okay,” Shikyung nodded excitedly. Everyone counted together and Apollo lifted her nose to kiss Shikyung. Jongin snapped his picture but he nearly dropped his camera after seeing what Shikyung had done. In disbelief, he looked down at his camera screen and there it was-Shikyung had stuck out his tongue and licked the Apollo’s nose instead of giving him a simple kiss. The trainer was laughing and Kyungsoo peered over to look at the camera too, not holding back his laughter either.

“Shikyung, why’d you lick him?” Jongin asked, still dumbfounded as Shikyung came paddling back towards him.

“I don’t know,” Shikyung answered with an innocent smile on his face. Jongin picked up his little rascal and splashed some water at his face.

“Taejung, your turn?” Kyungsoo asked his son. Taejung nodded hesitantly and the trainer took him towards Apollo. Taejung grew more confident as he got familiar with Apollo and soon he had a big smile on his face too as they glided around the pool. When it was his turn to kiss the dolphin, he gave Apollo a normal kiss and Jongin looked down at the camera, admiring the pretty shot.

“I’ll send these to you,” he told Kyungsoo, toggling through all the shots they got from today.

“You take really nice pictures,” Kyungsoo complimented him. Their bare elbows were brushing against each other and Jongin didn’t want to move away.

“I would’ve gone to school to study photography if soccer hadn’t worked out,” Jongin told him. It had been a hidden hobby for him and not many people actually knew that fact about him.

“You would’ve been really good at it,” Kyungsoo told him, glancing up to meet his eyes.

“Thanks,” Jongin smiled softly.

 

 

They went to the beach the next day and spent time playing in the sand and water. They had a father-son sand castle competition and the two boys spent nearly an hour looking for pretty shells and rocks to decorate the castles with while Jongin and Kyungsoo worked on actually constructing the castles. They were all only wearing their swim trunks and the boys looked cute with their little bellies as they hopped around, scaring seagulls that got too close and chasing after little crabs crawling around.

Jongin was currently dumping sand into his bucket to add another tower to his castle. Shikyung wanted a tall castle. He looked up as a girl covered in a bikini walked by and winked at him and he nodded at her before going back to his castle. She was pretty but there was no way he would be hooking up with anyone during this trip. He had learned his lessons and he was not dragging Shikyung into that mess. Kyungsoo was out by the waves, collecting some water in his own bucket to dampen the sand and make it easier to mold. Jongin watched as Kyungsoo bent down to catch an incoming wave and he held his breath as Kyungsoo’s round ass stuck out. The other dad was wearing a pair of short, light blue swim trunks with red and purple flowers on them. He hated to sound like a pervert but Kyungsoo had a really nice ass and his thighs looked thick and firm. Jongin himself had a rather nice body from years of athletic training but he wondered if Kyungsoo regularly squatted or if he was just gifted with the perfect lower body.

“Damn,” he heard a man sunbathing next to him whistle out, also staring at Kyungsoo who finally stood up again. The two boys were running towards him, excitedly showing him the handful of shells they found.

“Eyes off,” Jongin told the man a little possessively.

“You’re lucky bro,” the man said. Jongin just nodded, finding himself wishing it was half true.

After they finished with their sand castles, there was no clear winner because both boys decided that they did good jobs, they had lunch underneath their sun umbrellas and on top of the beach mat and towels that were provided. The two boys stuffed themselves with more chips and soda than hot dogs and just as the sun reached it’s peak in the sky, their eyes begin to droop and their little bodies became lethargic.

“Looks like some people are in need of a nap,” Kyungsoo said, watching amusedly as Shikyung tried to fight off sleep by stuffing another chip in his mouth. He folded some extra towels into little pillows and lifted Taejung up and set him down. The little boy curled up into his sleeping position and closed his eyes. Shikyung had half a chip falling out of his mouth and Kyungsoo grabbed him too and set him down next to Taejung. In no time, both boys were down for their naps and Kyungsoo adjusted the umbrella to make sure the sun wouldn’t burn them.

“Shikyung usually naps for like two hours,” Jongin told him, starting to clear away their plastic bags and cans.

“Taejung gets an hour in,” Kyungsoo replied, smoothing back his son’s sweaty hair. “He’s always been really bad with naps.”

“Well we get an hour to ourselves then,” Jongin said. “Any ideas?”

“One of us should stay with them,” Kyungsoo said. “You can go do something you want I guess. I kinda wanted to do a surfing lesson but those don’t start till three so I can stay with the kids first.”

“I think I’m gonna go jet skiing then,” Jongin said. He had seen a few earlier and it had looked like fun. Shikyung and Taejung were too young still to go on them though.

“Have fun then,” Kyungsoo smiled at him. “Me and the boys will be right here.”

 

 

Kyungsoo watched as Jongin sat down on his red jet ski, listening to the beach staff giving him certain instructions. Kyungsoo felt embarrassed to admit it but the soccer player looked absolutely hot with his damp, slicked back hair and his chiseled body hugged tightly by the slim life jacket thrown on him. His swim trunks rode up a bit and Kyungsoo caught a glimpse of tanned, firm, muscled thighs and he slapped his face lightly to get a hold of himself. He could not be blatantly checking out the guy he was supposed to be sharing a room with for a few more days still.

Instead he turned his attention to the boys who were sprawled out against the beach towels. Shikyung was sweating now so Kyungsoo grabbed a small towel and dampened it with some bottled water before patting down the boy’s head. The three year old was an exact carbon copy of his father, right down to the golden tanned skin and sharp brown eyes. The sound of an engine revving caught Kyungsoo’s attention and he looked back to the sea and saw Jongin slowly gliding through the no-wake zone. As soon as the athlete was out of it though, he sped up and droplets of water sprayed all around him as he went further out into the sea. Kyungsoo had seen magazine shoots of celebrities looking flawless at the beach before and he thought that Jongin right now belonged in one of them. He looked like he had stepped straight out of a scene from Baywatch. All he needed was the iconic red shorts and a slow-mo running shot with dramatic music. Kyungsoo would pay to watch that scene in theaters.

To stop himself from inappropriately gawking at Jongin, Kyungsoo pulled out his tablet and began to look over his lesson plans that he created for the first month. He kept himself distracted pretty well until a familiar cry brought back his attention and Taejung was sitting up, disorientated and scared. He still woke up crying sometimes and Kyungsoo was hoping that he would grow out of it soon.

“I’m right here baby,” Kyungsoo reached out and took him into his arms. Taejung molded his little body against his and let out a little huff. Kyungsoo stroked his damp hair soothingly, letting him fully wake up on his own terms. He glanced over at the other child and Shikyung was still knocked out, curled into a little ball. After Taejung woke himself up into a good mood, Kyungsoo let him play a few games on the tablet while they waited for Jongin to come back and for Shikyung to wake up. The boy was busy shooting angry birds at little green pigs, quite accurately to Kyungsoo’s surprise, when he began to ask questions.

“Daddy, does Shikyung have a mommy?” he asked, eyebrows furrowed as he hurled a yellow bird.

“Well yes, he does have a mommy,” Kyungsoo nodded. Almost everyone in Korea knew who Shikyung’s mother was. She had made sure of that when she first dropped the news.

“Does his mommy live with him?”

“No honey, I don’t think Shikyung lives with his mommy. I don’t think he sees her at all,” Kyungsoo answered.

“Why?” Taejung asked, pausing his game to look up at his daddy with big, innocent eyes. Kyungsoo kissed the soft space between his eyebrows. He thanked the heavens every single day that Taejung looked just like him.

“It’s complicated,” Kyungsoo sighed. The three year old wouldn’t understand what went down between Jongin and Shikyung’s biological mother and Kyungsoo only knew the public side of it too. He imagined that what had truly happened behind scenes was a nightmare.

“What’s that mean?” Taejung asked, wrinkling his little nose this time.

“It means that little boys like you don’t really need to know yet what happened,” Kyungsoo explained. “Shikyung lives with his daddy and he’s very happy with just his daddy like you are very happy with just me.”

“So is it complicated between you and my other dad too?” Taejung asked.

“Yes,” Kyungsoo sighed. “Very complicated.”

 

 

“There is a childcare service if you two would like some private time,” a server mentioned to Jongin and Kyungsoo the next morning at breakfast. Shikyung had just spilled his orange juice all over the table and onto Kyungsoo’s pants and Jongin was trying to soak up the mess with as many napkins as possible and Taejung was trying to help Kyungsoo clean up his pants but the little boy had just gotten in the way and knocked over his milk and now they had two tiny children who were crying. The server looked very sympathetic as he gestured for another server to start bringing over dishrags and a mop.

“They’re opened till ten at night,” the server continued to talk as he started clearing away the soaked dishes. “You two could drop off the boys there for a few hours and have a nice steak dinner with wine. Our childcare is staffed with professionals and we have a nurse on duty at all times too. There’s also a dark room if your children are early sleepers. They can sleep there and you can just pick them up after dinner.”

“I think I would actually like that,” Jongin said, still flustered as he picked up his soaked pile of napkins and dropped it into the waste bin that had been brought over.

“Yes,” Kyungsoo nodded, still in a daze as he dabbed at his pants, “some wine sounds like it would be good.”

 

 

“Daddy, do you have to go?” Taejung asked, holding onto Kyungsoo’s hand as they stood at the front of the childcare center later that night. It was painted a bright yellow and they had a whole wall full of toys and different objects for the children to climb on and slide down. There was also a sectioned off area with beanbags and a wide screen TV that was currently playing Frozen. During the small tour they had also gotten a glance at the dark room that was decorated with glow in the dark stars and padded mattresses on the floor for the children to sleep on if they got tired. Jongin had been a bit worried about the language barrier but they had a caretaker that could speak basic Korean and that made him feel better.

“It’ll just be for two hours,” Kyungsoo bent down to his height. He was dressed in a nice light blue dress shirt and black slacks for their dinner and his hair was gelled back. Jongin too had parted his hair and wore his best dress shirt and slacks that he had packed. “You can watch one movie and then we’ll be right back. Shikyung will be with you.”

“You two stick together, okay?” Jongin said, bending down to talk to Shikyung.

“Like two chopsticks!” Shikyung held up his fingers together.

“Take care of Taejung,” Jongin ruffled his hair. “This might be a little scary for him.”

“I told them that you want mac and cheese for dinner,” Kyungsoo said to the boys. “With chocolate milk and a cookie. And for snack if you get hungry later, they have pretzels and cheese dip.”

Taejung just stared at Kyungsoo, his wide eyes looking even wider than normal and Kyungsoo sighed and pulled him in for a hug.

“Be good my baby,” he rocked him a bit. “Daddy will be back.”

“Okay,” Taejung said, trying his best to be strong. Shikyung patted his back affectionately.

“If anything happens, we’ll page you,” one of the caretakers told Jongin.

“Sounds good,” he nodded. “Thank you for watching them.”

“Your boys are in good hands,” she smiled at him.

 

 

“I feel bad for leaving him now,” Kyungsoo frowned when they were seated at dinner, waiting for their appetizers to come in. The wine had already been poured but Kyungsoo had yet to take a sip.

“He’ll be okay,” Jongin said, trying to comfort the other father. “Shikyung will distract him enough.”

“I don’t really leave him in places like that,” Kyungsoo confessed. “If I’m busy, he’s either with my parents or one of my friends watches him for a few hours.”

“My mom, when she’s watching Shikyung, she likes to take him to those kid cafes and gossip with the other parents there,” Jongin told him. “Shikyung loves those places, so I guess he’s used to it. Taejung will have fun. He just needs to warm up to it. And you need to loosen up so take a sip of that wine.”

“You’re right,” Kyungsoo nodded, picking up his wine glass and taking a sip. “You and I are on a vacation where we can get as much free alcohol as we want but we can’t even take advantage of that because of the kids,” he chuckled.

“Oh I’m glad the kids are here,” Jongin said, “Me and unlimited alcohol don’t have a good history together.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo said, realizing his mistake, “I’m sorry. I forgot about that-”

“Don’t be,” Jongin waved him off, “It wasn’t your fault I made some stupid decisions when I was younger.”

“A lot of people make those mistakes, Jongin,” Kyungsoo told him softly, trying to be careful with his words, “but I can tell that you’ve learned from them. You really are a wonderful parent to Shikyung. He loves you so much.”

“I don’t want him to learn about what I did,” Jongin confessed, looking down shamefully. “I want him to know me as someone good and righteous but I know one day he’ll stumble upon those articles or his classmates will talk about me and his superhero image of me will be ruined.”

“He might be disappointed,” Kyungsoo said realistically, “but he’ll also know your heart the best and he’ll understand how much of a better person you’ve become.”

“I was so dumb,” Jongin scoffed thinking back to five years ago. “I was so obsessed with how fucking amazing I thought I was but all I really was, was some pretentious asshole who didn’t know how good he had it. I didn’t deserve a second chance. I got so lucky. Epo-doping should have gotten me banned for good from the league.”

“You were young and very talented Jongin. They had faith in you and they knew that you were a good person. I’m not saying what you did was right or justified but your second chance wasn’t just given haphazardly. They knew they could trust in you again,” Kyungsoo told him.

“Blood doping, alcohol poisoning, three stomach pumps, and knocking up an actress,” Jongin laughed bitterly. “I was quite the mess back then wasn’t I? But I guess that’s what happens when you let a young adult think he’s the absolute shit and untouchable.”

“You’ve come a long way,” Kyungsoo said, reaching out to hold Jongin’s hand and comfort him. “Enough people have been hard on you so don’t be too hard on yourself.”

“I will never let Shikyung be an idiot like I was,” Jongin swore to himself. “He’s gonna be the most humble fool there ever was in this universe.”

“If you keep on raising him just like this, he’ll be a good person,” Kyungsoo promised him. “Does he know his mother at all?” he hesitantly asked, thinking back to his conversation with Taejung the other day.

“Oh god no,” Jongin said relieved. “All she wanted was the fame off my name. I have a feeling she even induced an early birth just to get rid of Shikyung faster. He was two months early. I would say that one of the worst mistakes of my life was hooking up with her at that club but Shikyung came out of it and he’s the best thing in my life. I fought hard for sole custody and I’m going to keep it until the day I die. When he’s older, Shikyung will definitely find out what type of person his biological mother was and I hope he resents her as much as I do.”

From what Kyungsoo knew, Jongin had a one night stand with the actress and she had come forward to the media three months later claiming to be pregnant with his child. Jongin had been a hotshot rookie forward who had a major role in his new team’s undefeated streak in the league. After the pregnancy news had broken, all of Jongin’s other scandals had quickly been uncovered afterwards and his name and reputation had been dragged through volcanic ash and back. He had been accused of blood doping and hospital reports of him getting his stomach pumped from alcohol overdoses were released. Pictures of him getting hammered at clubs were posted everywhere and he was definitely at risk of losing his multimillion-dollar contract. The league stood by him though and he retained his starting position for the next season. The actress on the other hand had wanted to trap Jongin in a marriage but he had absolutely refused and sought sole custody of the child. It had been a nasty back and forth between the two parties but ultimately, she gave up and from the moment Shikyung took his first breath in the world, he was Jongin’s and only Jongin’s. All of this had been plastered on news sites and gossip forums for months and Kyungsoo had always felt bad that their private business had become fodder for drama-seeking civilians. Now Jongin had redeemed himself by staying out of the limelight and party scene and Shikyung’s mother was currently a lead in a weekend primetime drama and there were rumors that she was dating some media CEO.

“Well you know all about Shikyung’s mother,” Jongin started out as their main course was brought to them. “Is it okay for me to know about Taejung’s other dad?”

“There’s not much to know,” Kyungsoo shrugged, taking another sip out of his wine. “Like you, I have sole custody. We were high school sweethearts. He knocked me up during our first semester of college and two months after we found out he wanted to ‘see other people’ and wasn’t ready for ‘commitment’,” he recalled bitterly. “Turns out he had been cheating on me throughout that first semester too. He had a little bit too much fun at frat parties. I let him walk all over me for four months and at the end of it, I no longer wanted anything to do with him anyways, so it’s good that he wanted out. I didn’t want to be stuck with a fucker like that and Taejung definitely deserves better.”

“He does,” Jongin agreed. “You both do.”

“Taejung is going to ask about him some day,” Kyungsoo groaned, remembering their conversation on the beach. “I’m going to have to tell him how much of a jackass his other dad was and knowing my kid, he’s going to feel bad about it.”

“Shikyung is going to learn about his gold digger mother from his classmates I bet,” Jongin lamented.

“Have you ever thought of dating again?” Kyungsoo asked him cautiously.

“There’s no time,” Jongin shook his head with a small chuckle. “Between soccer and Shikyung I barely have time to shave and do laundry. And besides it’s hard finding someone who synchs well with Shikyung too. I don’t want to bring people into his life that aren’t going to be permanent. That’s not fair to him.”

“I know what you mean,” Kyungsoo nodded, tracing the edge of his glass with his finger. “Every blind date that my friends set me up with, always retracted their interest when they found out about Taejung. I always talk about him on the first date. It’s pretty much the deal breaker. Not many have progressed to the second date and those that did never made it far enough to actually meet Taejung.”

“Why do I have a feeling that Taejung would’ve been a difficult kid to meet anyways,” Jongin smiled, thinking about the little boy’s stoic personality.

“He probably would’ve stepped on their white shoes,” Kyungsoo snickered.

“Is he overprotective of you?” Jongin asked.

“My boss yelled at me one day because this pretentious couple at the restaurant didn’t tip and Taejung got upset and hit him in the crotch,” Kyungsoo laughed remembering his little toddler charging at the stocky old man and pummeling him with his little fist.

“Did you get fired?” Jongin asked, imagining a smaller Taejung just socking someone in the nuts.

“Right away,” Kyungsoo said, but he had a fond smile on his face. “But then I got a new job at the sauna so it was okay.”

“You worked at a sauna?” Jongin asked, finding every new detail about Kyungsoo’s life interesting.

“I did the overnight shift at the food counter,” Kyungsoo nodded. “It was nice because I could do homework and Taejung had a warm place to sleep even if our heater back at the apartment was busted.”

“I’ve never brought Shikyung to a sauna,” Jongin said. “I haven’t been to one myself in a few years now.”

“I still work there every other Tuesday night,” Kyungsoo told him. “I could get you guys in for free, not that you would need a discount anyways, but Tuesdays are usually quiet so if you’re worried about people recognizing you and stuff it’ll be okay.”

“Maybe I’ll take you up on that offer,” Jongin smiled. He had the most special memories of bonding with his own dad at the sauna and it would be fun to recreate those with Shikyung.

Before they knew it, nearly two hours had flown by and they had each gone through two glasses of wine and were now sharing a slice of chocolate cake. Even though Jongin was on break, he still had to watch his diet and Kyungsoo didn’t want to eat so much of the thick delicacy after a heavy meal too.

“This was fun,” Kyungsoo smiled as Jongin polished off the last of the frosting.

“We should do it again before vacation is over,” Jongin agreed. He hadn’t had a private, intimate moment like this with another adult in a long time and he really liked it. Talking to Kyungsoo was so easy and it was nice learning about the other father.

“I guess it’s time to get the kids,” Kyungsoo said, turning over his phone and looking at the screen. “They haven’t called us so I’m guessing that’s a good thing.”

“It’s a good thing,” Jongin laughed. “It means our kids haven’t burned down the place yet.”

 

 

“They’re both asleep,” the caretaker told them as soon as they said the boys’ names.

“Was Taejung okay?” Kyungsoo asked in perfectly accented English. Jongin wanted to melt at his deep, warm tone. He felt like a swooning teenage girl but Kyungsoo’s voice was like thick, melted chocolate and you couldn’t say that about many people. “He’s the one with shorter hair.”

“He was reserved at first but his brother really helped him adjust,” the caretaker smiled. “They played in the ball pit for a while and then after dinner they watched the movie and fell asleep so we transferred them to the dark room.”

They walked over to the dark room that had a few children tucked in under the glow-in-the-dark stars and the caretaker picked up Taejung, who shifted a bit and began to whine. She handed him to Jongin who quickly accepted him in his arms and Taejung found his comfy spot and settled down quickly. Before Jongin could hand him over to Kyungsoo though, Shikyung was set in Kyungsoo’s arm and that child was sleeping like a rock, not moving at all.

“You have a beautiful family,” the caretaker complimented them as they signed out the children. “Your boys are wonderful and they’re so lucky to have parents like you guys. We would love to see the boys again before you leave.”

“There’s a sunrise yoga session on the river that I wanted to do in two days,” Kyungsoo remembered looking at Jongin hopefully. “Do you want to go to that?”

“Yeah,” Jongin found himself agreeing in a heartbeat. “If the boys are okay with coming back here then let’s go.” He had never done yoga before but he considered himself flexible so it shouldn’t be that awful.          

The trudge back to the hotel room was rather uneventful. Jongin continued to carry Taejung and Kyungsoo had Shikyung and when they got to the room, Shikyung was placed gently onto the bed and Jongin surprisingly also put Taejung next to him.

“I can move him to the couch,” Kyungsoo said, making a move to pick up his son but Jongin stopped him.

“You three can take the bed tonight,” he said with a casual shrug of his shoulders. “I feel bad that you’ve been on the couch so I can take it for a few nights. Shikyung is a messy sleeper though so he really wouldn’t be safe on the couch with me,” he ended with a chuckle, looking down at the three year old. Shikyung had already spread himself out, one arm flopping over Taejung.

“Are you sure, Jongin?” Kyungsoo asked, glancing between the couch and bed. “Taejung and I really don’t mind-”

“It’s your vacation too,” Jongin interrupted him, somehow gaining the courage to lightly ruffle Kyungsoo’s hair. “Enjoy it. Sleep on the bed.”

           

 

The next day, the group of four took a small tour of the island with some other tourists, visiting some scenic nature spots and stopping in the local village. That morning, Jongin had thrown on a red polo with khaki shorts and gave Shikyung a matching outfit but with the shirt in blue instead. When Kyungsoo and Taejung had stepped out of the bathroom, Kyungsoo was also in a blue polo while Taejung was in red. The two boys had been so excited to see all of them in similar outfits that Jongin and Kyungsoo didn’t have the heart to ruin the fun and change.

“We’re wearing couple outfits,” Kyungsoo pointed out as they boarded the bus. Jongin was fidgeting with his camera and he nearly dropped it at Kyungsoo’s words. They really were wearing couple outfits. Even down to the brand of the shirt, what they had on was exactly the same. Jongin wasn’t sure how coincidental things could get but he narrowed it down to fate. It had been fate that somehow managed to get Kyungsoo roped into this vacation with him and he was thankful. It would have gotten lonesome for him after a few days of just spending it with Shikyung and doing kiddy things but instead he had Kyungsoo to splash water at in the pool when the boys were busy pretending to be pirates or sharks. He and Kyungsoo could have grown up conversations that didn’t consist of high-pitched tones and silly words. It felt nice being with someone who didn’t judge him for his dark past but also didn’t worship him like some athletic Spartan god. Being with Kyungsoo just felt so natural and normal now. Jongin was glad he got stuck with him.

They took a few pictures at a gorgeous waterfall and Jongin even managed to convince Kyungsoo to get some nice solo shots in. The smaller male awkwardly posed next to the crystal clear water and lush green foliage and Jongin snapped a few pictures, admiring how cute Kyungsoo looked with his heart-shaped smile and wide eyes. He had secretly taken some candid pictures of the other male earlier before and he felt his eyes and smile go soft as he looked back at them. Kyungsoo was beautiful, even more beautiful than the landscape behind him and he didn’t even feel weird for secretly taking those pictures. It’s not like he was going to blow them up on canvas and stick them on his living room wall-but that one of Kyungsoo’s profile with the light falling just right on him and his smile looking brighter than sun itself might go into his wallet, if he ever finds the courage to print it out.

“Daddy, take a picture of us!” Shikyung yelled as he squished his cheek against Taejung’s and held out a v sign while also giving out the cheesiest smile in the entire world. Taejung grinned too, his little teeth showing and Jongin snapped a picture quickly.

“You have to send me those,” Kyungsoo said, cooing over how adorable their children looked as they jumped across a rock bridge in the super shallow stream.

“They really are so cute,” Jongin smiled, taking a few candids of the boys. He couldn’t send the candid ones of Kyungsoo though. That would be weird.

“I’ll make a photobook of the pictures and send you a copy,” Kyungsoo told him. “We learn how to do creative shit like that in teaching school.”

“We will definitely cherish it forever,” Jongin smiled at him this time. He thought of Kyungsoo sitting at a small crafts table with tape and glitter, his little tongue poking out in concentration.

“Family picture?” their tour guide asked, gesturing at them with a small camera motion.

“Do you want to?” Jongin asked hesitantly. Everyone was mistaking them as a real family but Jongin was fine with it. Explaining their situation to people would be too complicated so he didn’t mind the whole family stint but he didn’t know if it made Kyungsoo uncomfortable or not.

“We can,” Kyungsoo replied, his cheeks turning a soft pink as he nodded. Jongin handed the camera over to the guide and they gathered up the boys as they stood in front of the waterfall. Kyungsoo had Taejung balanced on his hip and Shikyung was piggybacking Jongin, his little face popping over his dad’s shoulder.

“Say cheese,” the guide told them.

“Cheeeeeeese,” the two boys, mostly Shikyung squealed as the shutter clicked.

“Beautiful!” The tour guide said enthusiastically! “So beautiful! How about one of just the papas?”

“Just daddies?” Taejung asked, turning his head to ask Kyungsoo.

“Yeah just daddies!” Shikyung cheered as he squirmed down Jongin’s back. Taejung wiggled to be let down too and then it was just Kyungsoo and Jongin and the rushing sound of the waterfall.

“Stand closer,” the guide teased them. “Don’t be shy.” Jongin and Kyungsoo both scooted towards each other and Jongin loosely wrapped an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

“Sorry,” Jongin whispered as the other father startled at the touch a little.

“It’s okay,” Kyungsoo whispered back, wrapping his arm around Jongin’s waist. They were so close now that when Jongin turned his head, he could count the number of eyelashes framing Kyungsoo’s pretty eyes. He was looking down at the other male, who only came up slightly above his shoulder, but the view was gorgeous as he caught the slight curve of Kyungsoo’s nose and the roundness of his cheeks. Right now he could even smell the honey-eucalyptus scent of the hotel shampoo lightly wafting off of Kyungsoo’s soft hair. The shutter clicked and his head snapped back towards the front.

“Aww so sweet,” the guide cooed at them again. “How about a kissing picture? Just a peck!”

“A kiss?” Taejung and Shikyung echoed from behind the tour guide. That was one English word that they both understood really well.

“Ahh no kiss,” Jongin shook his head frantically. That would be too much.

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo nodded towards the tour guide, stepping way from Jongin and the waterfall and receiving the camera back.

“We leave the waterfall in forty five minutes,” the guide smiled at them.

Of course in that time frame, something was bound to go wrong. Shikyung had gotten the _great_ idea of venturing further into the water to go see if there were any fish and had somehow managed to not con Taejung into joining him. The more reserved boy was sitting on top of a rock, watching as his friend waded further into the deeper parts of the fall’s pool. When the water level finally hit his waist though and he slipped on a rock covered in moss, Shikyung began to cry and it was up to Jongin to go and save him.

“I turn my head for thirty seconds and this boy, I swear,” he huffed under his breath as he handed over his phone and camera to Kyungsoo. “How did he even get that far?”

“Shikyung just stay still, okay?” Kyungsoo called out to the little boy. “Your daddy is coming to get you.”

“Hurry,” the boy wailed, too afraid to even turn around to look at them.

“I’ve never seen him stand so still before,” Jongin said amusedly. “Maybe I should leave him there a little bit longer so he learns his lesson.”

“Oh just go get him,” Kyungsoo playfully shoved at the other father. Jongin began to cross the rocks, jumping from stone to stone and carefully maneuvering himself between the tricky areas. He really had no idea how Shikyung had managed to get all the way over there but then again his son was incredibly stubborn so he wasn’t too surprised. Just like his son though, Jongin overestimated himself and as he carelessly stepped on a rock, he found himself slipping too, followed by a large splash.

“Jongin!” he heard Kyungsoo call out for him worriedly.

“Daddy?” Shikyung whimpered when he heard Kyungsoo’s shout.

“I’m okay,” Jongin responded from where he sat in water. He was soaking wet now and his palms were scraped but he didn’t really feel hurt anywhere, just mostly shocked that he had made himself look like a clumsy idiot in front of a lot of people and Kyungsoo. He picked himself up and continued to make his way carefully to Shikyung. When he finally reached the boy, Shikyung lifted his arms and Jongin picked him up. His son clung onto him like a little koala the entire way back and his wet body soaked through Jongin’s clothes even more.

“No more going on dangerous adventures like that,” Jongin scolded him as he set him down on a picnic table near the bus.

“No more,” Shikyung agreed with a sniffle. Kyungsoo had gotten some towels from the tour guide and he helped Shikyung change into a spare pair of clothes they had packed and warmed him up with the fluffy towel as Jongin got his hands patched up. After Jongin’s hands were properly cleaned and bandaged, he turned around and saw Kyungsoo sitting on the table, Shikyung cradled in his lap and cocooned in a towel, resting his head on the man’s chest. Taejung was sitting next to them, leaning against Kyungsoo and munching on some pretzel sticks. The scene was awfully domestic and Jongin felt his heart twinge a little.

“I have a towel for you too Mr. Slippery Superhero,” Kyungsoo teased him as he stuck out his free hand and a fluffy white towel.

“Too bad I don’t have extra clothes in that backpack either,” Jongin said as he grabbed the towel and began to dry himself off as much as he could. The sun would eventually dry him all the way so he just had to be uncomfortable for a little while longer.

“Are you hands okay?” Kyungsoo asked. Shikyung shifted in his lap and buried his head into his body, searching for more warmth.

“They’re okay,” Jongin nodded, sitting next to Taejung. The boy looked up at him and offered him a half eaten pretzel. Jongin took it and finished it. Hopefully they only had one naughty adventure today.

 

 

Lunch was eaten at a local restaurant in the village. They specialized in fresh seafood and everything just seemed so good that Jongin didn’t know what to order. Kyungsoo had gotten crab porridge and crab legs for the boys and for himself he had gotten stir-fried lobster and a plate of mussels. Jongin didn’t want to order a repeat dish because he knew they were going to end up sharing all of it anyways.

“Do you want recommendation?” their waiter asked him, his accent a little thick but still understandable.

“Sure,” Jongin said, looking up from his menu. He was almost dry now, his underwear still a little damp.

“Eel good for stamina,” the waiter smiled knowingly at him. Jongin felt himself turn red and across from him he could see Kyungsoo begin to busy himself with taking care of Taejung. “Make more sons! Maybe daughter too!” the waiter teased them.

“Okay eel then,” Jongin said quickly, just wanting the guy to go away. The waiter laughed and left them and Jongin felt his face begin to cool.

“Daddy, what’s _stamina_?” Shikyung asked before taking a sip of his coconut water. He had already eaten all the coconut chunks in it.

“Umm it’s strength,” Jongin answered as best as he could, taking a sip of his cocktail. He figured he deserved some alcohol for the day already.

“But you’re already strong!” Shikyung exclaimed. “You play soccer!”

“Is Shikyung getting a sister?” Taejung asked suddenly. Jongin choked on his drink at that and Kyungsoo handed him a napkin while Shikyung patted his back.

“Why would you ask that?” Kyungsoo asked his son.

“The guy said _daughter_ ,” Taejung pointed out. “Like sister right?”

“Am I getting a sister?!” Shikyung shot up in his seat excitedly. Jongin sat him back down and shook his head.

“No sister,” Jongin told him. “Not yet, at least.” Maybe not ever.

“I want a sister too!” Taejung said, his eyes lighting up.

“Why a sister, huh?” Kyungsoo tickled his sides lightly. “You always told me you wanted a little brother.”

“Well I already have a brother,” Taejung said, rolling his eyes like it was obvious. “Shikyung is my brother.”

“Yeah, we’re brothers!” Shikyung nodded enthusiastically. “Everyone says that we’re the cutest brothers.” Kyungsoo looked at Jongin, some worry in his eyes. It seemed like the boys had listened to others more than they had thought.

“We’re going to be brothers forever,” Taejung said with a wide smile. They would have to talk about this later and come up with something to tell the boys. They had grown so close over the past week and it was going to be hard to say goodbye in a few days. Neither parent was looking forward to it.

After lunch, they were allowed time to wander the shops and markets to look for souvenirs and other fun things. It would be the only time they had to spend money out of their own pockets. Jongin picked out a fridge magnet and keychain for his dad and for his sisters and mom, Shikyung helped picked out some flowy, long skirts. Shikyung’s cousins and friends each got a small stuffed animal and a small bag of local candy. Jongin himself got a few t-shirts and some decorated picture frames to put their nice pictures in. Kyungsoo had bought his parents and brother t-shirts and he got his friends some shot glasses. For his friends back at home, Taejung had also picked out some stuffed animals and candy. While Kyungsoo was checking out, Shikyung decided he needed to go pee so Jongin was with him in search of a restroom.

“So are we done shopping, bud?” Jongin asked as Shikyung hopped off the toilet and washed his hands.

“No,” the three year old shook his head. “We still need to get something for Taejung and his daddy but it has to be a surprise!”

“You really like them, huh?” Jongin chuckled.

“Yes,” Shikyung nodded his head, his eyes seemed to gleam as he talked about them. “Taejung is so fun to play with and his daddy is really nice and cuddly. Daddy, do you like him?”

“Of course I like him,” Jongin nodded.

“Then why didn’t you kiss Taejung’s daddy at the waterfall?” Shikyung asked innocently. “If you like someone you kiss them, right?” Jongin paused, not knowing quite how to respond.

“I can’t just kiss him, Shikyung,” he shook his head. “He might not like me back.”

“But if he does, will you kiss him?” Shikyung continued to ask.

“It’s more complicated than that, buddy,” Jongin told him with a sigh.

“So are we moving to Taejung’s house or are they moving to our house?” Shikyung asked next.

“What do you mean?” Jongin asked, not liking where this conversation was headed.

“Well we’re brothers now,” Shikyung explained. “And brothers have to live with each other. I can share my room and my toys with him!”

“Shikyung,” Jongin sighed, trying to be careful with how he handled this. “Taejung and his daddy aren’t going to be moving in with us. After this trip is over, they’ll go back to their house and we’ll go back to ours. We can visit them though and you two can still play with each other-”

“Why can’t we live together?” Shikyung asked, his lower lip begging to wobble as he frowned. “Brothers are supposed to live together when they’re little like us.”

“Because it would be weird for me and Taejung’s daddy to live together like that,” Jongin told him.

“But you like him,” Shikyung said, his eyes begging to water. “You like him, so you can marry him and we can live together. Minho has two mommies that live together so I can have two daddies too, right? I don’t want a mommy. I want Taejung’s daddy to be my daddy too.”

“I-” Jongin didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know that Kyungsoo had made such a huge impression on Shikyung. “I’m sorry, bud,” he apologized, not able to make eye contact with his son. “I don’t think this is going to work like that.” Shikyung began to cry then, sad and heartbroken. Jongin took the three year old into his arms and tried his best to comfort him and he let Shikyung cry it all out. It lasted maybe ten minutes and then Shikyung wouldn’t let go of him.

 

 

“Taejung was beginning to think one of you fell in the toilet,” Kyungsoo said when they finally returned to the store. The little boy nodded, chewing on a large gummy snake that Kyungsoo had bought.

“Just ran into a little speed bump,” Jongin said. Shikyung had fallen asleep on the walk back.

“Is he okay?” Kyungsoo asked, worriedly stepping over to check on the boy.

“He’s okay,” Jongin nodded. He knew he shouldn’t let Kyungsoo get more involved in Shikyung’s wellbeing. It would only make it more difficult for his son at the end but he couldn’t help it. Kyungsoo just looked so concerned and Jongin was going to miss that too when they went back home. He was going to miss Kyungsoo and Taejung, maybe even more than Shikyung did.

When they got back to the resort, it was early evening and the boys wanted to swim so they stayed by the kiddy pool until dinnertime. Taejung and Shikyung went down the slides and Jongin found out he sucked at water basketball even more than gym basketball. He had always been better with his feet than his hands anyways. Kyungsoo taught the boys how to float on their backs properly and then Jongin became the victim of a splash war and he ended up hiding behind Kyungsoo for protection because the boys wouldn’t splash at Kyungsoo for some reason. His bare chest was pressing against Kyungsoo’s naked back as he ducked. Kyungsoo was laughing loudly as he held onto Jongin’s arm to steady him so they both wouldn’t tip back in the water. Jongin had enough water in his ears and up his nose. They were having too much fun in the pool and Jongin found himself not worrying about being careful with Kyungsoo because the other male didn’t seem to be worrying either. They didn’t have much time left together anyways so he was going to enjoy it.

After dinner, they stopped by the childcare center to let them know that Shikyung and Taejung would be dropped off early in the morning so that Kyungsoo and Jongin could make it to the sunrise yoga session. They found out that there were tons of couple activities planned for tomorrow and with a little encouragement from the staff and permission from the boys, they decided to let the boys stay the entire day at the center while they enjoyed some time to themselves. The center was going to take all the kids to the aquatic nature reserve and the boys were quite excited about getting to see more animals. After confirming all the details with the staff, the four of them then headed off to bed early since they had a busy day coming up. Jongin took the couch again but just as he was beginning to drift off, he felt Kyungsoo fix his blankets before shuffling off to join the boys in bed and he couldn’t help but smile. It felt good to be taken care of.

 

They woke up to both Jongin and Kyungsoo’s phone alarms at 4:30 in the morning. Jongin got dressed first, deciding to wear his favorite training shirt and soccer shorts so that he would be comfortable during yoga. Kyungsoo gathered all of the boys’ things, packing them extra clothes and snacks and writing down their emergency contact numbers on a slip of paper. The boys were still deep asleep and Jongin figured that they would stay asleep and most likely wake up in the center. When Kyungsoo stepped out of the bathroom after changing, Jongin felt his jaw drop as the moonlight illuminated through the sheer curtains shined on the smaller male’s figure. He was wearing a loose, comfy t-shirt on top but his legs were covered in skin-tight, gray yoga pants that accented his nice, plump thighs and every single curve along his lower body. The soccer player turned his head, not wanting to be rude by staring but he gulped and swallowed deeply. He had no idea that he could feel like such a teenage boy again, hot feelings beginning to stir in his lower gut. Kyungsoo in form-fitting yoga pants had suddenly become his only worry in life because he wanted nothing but to run his hands down those legs and squeeze that ass and those thighs.

The early morning air was foggy as they waited by the dock to load the rickety little boat that would be their venue for the session. They had already kissed the sleeping boys goodbye after placing them in the dark room and Jongin should feel tired, but he was wide awake and alert. Only a few other couples were with them, the rest not wanting to get up early for some stretching exercises. They loaded the small boat that took them a little ways out to sea and once they were settled, the instructors introduced themselves and they got started with basic stretching.

“I’ve never done yoga before,” Jongin said as he twisted his upper body from side to side.

“I started taking classes when I was carrying Taejung,” Kyungsoo said. “After that I tried to go at least once a week at the sessions they held at the university. I like it. It’s very relaxing and I don’t like to sweat so it’s good exercise for me.”

The moon was still fading and the sun had not yet risen when they finally began with their first single poses and Jongin found himself awkwardly trying to calm his breathing as everyone meditated around him. His eyes wandered a few times because he wasn’t sure if he was doing it right but he got caught by one instructor, who gently encouraged him with a smile, and he felt more comfortable.

Another reason why Jongin was having a hard time concentrating on the basic poses was because Kyungsoo was standing on the mat right in front of him and he had the perfect view of the other male’s perfect body. Kyungsoo seemed to know exactly what he was doing as he followed the instructor’s words and Jongin’s hormones were exploding because of it. With every knew pose, he could see how toned Kyungsoo’s muscles were and just how flexible he was as they stretched with each new position. Then they did downward dog and Jongin just about choked on his saliva. Kyungsoo’s nice butt was right in front of his face and his skin-tight pants were leaving little to the imagination and Jongin hadn’t been laid in ages. He was glad that his baggy shorts were able to hide his growing boner.

“Now, its time for the couple poses,” the instructors said as they stood next to each other. “When the sun rises, we will welcome this new day with love and appreciation for each other and your relationship will blossom to new heights of intimacy and trust. We will first do another breathing exercise. Everyone please sit with your backs touching your partner’s.” Kyungsoo walked to Jongin’s mat and sat down, pressing his firm back against Jongin’s. His head was resting comfortably right in the crook of Jongin’s neck and the taller male pressed back too.

“Do you like it?” Kyungsoo asked him as they were instructed to sit cross legged.

“It’s interesting,” Jongin responded, liking the feel of Kyungsoo against him.

“It sure isn’t a soccer game,” Kyungsoo chuckled.

“It’s a lot more relaxing,” Jongin laughed back. “I run an average of four miles a game.”

“Ugh,” Kyungsoo made a face, “I don’t even know if I can run a mile.”

“Now, rest your hands on your thighs and close your eyes,” the instructors began again. “Inhale, now exhale,” they said slowly. Jongin followed their instructions and he could feel the rise and fall of Kyungsoo’s body against him. It felt wonderfully intimate and he felt a wave of calm begin to fall over him. Next, they did a partner twist and then a twin trees position where they stood on one leg like flamingos next to each other. One set of their palms were pressed together and their other hands were up in the air with their pointer finger and thumbs pressing. They were allowed to look at each other in this position and Jongin found himself laughing quietly as he made eye contact with Kyungsoo. The other male laughed back as they held the position.

With each new position, Jongin found himself relaxing even more and growing closer to Kyungsoo each time their hands or bodies touched. Kyungsoo’s skin was soft and supple underneath his hands and he found himself wanting more. He wanted Kyungsoo pressed as close as possible to him. He wanted to touch Kyungsoo everywhere and to hold him firmly and tightly.

“And now, we end with our last pose to welcome the sun,” the instructors said much later in the hour. The sun was just beginning to rise, painting a serene yellow and orange over the fog of the sea. Jongin wished he had his camera, so he could capture this moment and remember it forever.

“Sit facing your partner now and hold each other’s hands.”

Jongin grabbed Kyungsoo’s hands and intertwined their fingers together bravely. Kyungsoo squeezed back, a wide smile on his face. Their bodies felt incredibly pliant and loose and Jongin hadn’t felt so laidback in ages. He felt like he could take on the world and win.

“Now stare into each other’s eyes and breathe together. Don’t speak, blink if you must but just look at each other and let the rising sun’s energy fuel your love and trust for each other. This pose is all mental and emotional. Feel the love you have for each other and turn it into commitment. Let the warmth of the sun guide your emotions for each other.”

Jongin stared unwaveringly into Kyungsoo’s eyes and he could feel himself falling for the other male’s soft gaze. They both smiled at each other but neither of them said a word, just staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Jongin had never gotten lost in someone’s eyes before but it seemed so easy to do with Kyungsoo’s eyes. He could feel the affection and appreciation pouring from Kyungsoo and he hoped that Kyungsoo could feel his too. It might have been love. Jongin wasn’t sure because he had never loved another person romantically before but he was sure this was what love felt like. It felt like a thousand brilliant suns warming his entire soul and filling him with some untouchable type of magic. Love was sitting on a little rickety boat in the middle of the foggy ocean and staring into someone’s eyes as the sun rose and not wanting to be anywhere else in the world.

“That was my first time doing couple’s yoga,” Kyungsoo said as they got off the boat and back onto the dock. Their hands were still intertwined, neither of them wanting to let go. They had breakfast on the boat, just a simple cheese and cracker platter along with some yogurt and fruit but it had been enough to fill them up. The instructors had told all the couples that the love they felt early in the morning had been enough to feed them.

“It was fun,” Jongin nodded, grinning boyishly at Kyungsoo. _We should do it again._

“Well we have a whole day to ourselves,” Kyungsoo said. “We don’t have to pick up the boys until ten. What do you want to do first?”

“You want to walk the beach?” Jongin asked. He was in such a romantic mood and nothing seemed more romantic to him than strolling along the beach right now. Kyungsoo shyly nodded and they left the dock and began to walk along the soft sand. They talked about everything. They told stories about their sons when they were younger and Jongin learned all about Kyungsoo’s crazy friends and the other odd jobs that he took to support Taejung. Jongin confessed to Kyungsoo about his worries for his career. One injury could take him out forever and then he would have nothing to fall back on. He was also worried about how the limelight would affect Shikyung once he started school. Everyone in Korea knew who Kim Jongin was and he was afraid that people would take advantage of Shikyung’s friendliness. Kyungsoo was able to quell his worries though with his own thoughtful responses and he was absentmindedly stroking Jongin’s arm.

“You have good people around you Jongin,” he told him. “They’ll be able to help you and Shikyung figure out what is right.” _Will you be one of them?_ Jongin thought helplessly. Would Kyungsoo still be around even after this was all over?

After their stroll, they went back to the room so Kyungsoo could change into looser clothes and Jongin could grab his camera. Jongin was sad to say goodbye to Kyungsoo’s yoga pants but the thought of spending the entire day with the other male was more than enough to make up for it. They went rock climbing next on a synthetic rock wall that the resort had set up. Then they completed a ropes course with a zipline at the end and had lunch at a little bistro.

“We are going to be so sore tomorrow,” Kyungsoo said as he stretched out his arms. What had started as a relaxing morning had turned into a day of using their muscles and body parts to get from point A to point B.

“They have a spa,” Jongin remembered seeing the brochure in their bathroom. “We can go there and soak in the hot tub and check out the saunas.”

“Ooh that sounds like fun,” Kyungsoo agreed. “Do you think the boys are okay?”

“The center has our numbers if anything goes wrong,” Jongin nodded. “They’re probably too excited about feeding the turtles to even remember us,” he laughed.

“I’m so glad I brought Taejung here,” Kyungsoo said. “I’m glad we got stuck with you guys too. It’s really been so wonderful.”

“It really has,” Jongin said, taking Kyungsoo’s hand in his and rubbing this thumb. “I couldn’t have imagined this trip without you.”

           

 

At the spa, they were instructed to change into short, white boxers and were each given their own locker. They dipped in the hot tub first, letting their muscles loosened up as the jet of bubbles rumbled beneath them. Kyungsoo had his head tipped back and his eyes were closed. His lips were slightly parted and Jongin wanted to lean over and kiss him but he held himself back. After they finished soaking, Kyungsoo climbed out of the tub first and his soaked, white boxers made Jongin’s eyes go wide because now he could literally see everything. Every little dip and curve and outline was visible and Jongin really thought that Kyungsoo was blessed with the best body on earth. However, that also meant that everything of Jongin’s could be seen too and his growing problem down there would not be so easily hidden anymore, so he tried his best to not think perverted thoughts and settled for just staring at Kyungsoo’s pretty face again.

The sauna was steaming hot and but Jongin really enjoyed it, letting his body sweat away any left over stress or toxins that had accumulated over the past few years. He and Kyungsoo didn’t talk in there, just letting themselves relax quietly. At one point he felt Kyungsoo’s hand bump into his and he hooked their pinky fingers together, tugging it lightly. Kyungsoo tugged back and Jongin couldn’t help but smile. He really liked Kyungsoo. With every single second, he was falling for the other dad even more.

           

 

“You’re just like Taejung,” Kyungsoo scolded him after they had showered and changed back into their original clothes. The older male was currently toweling off Jongin’s damp hair and wiping behind his ears as Jongin patted his face dry. He was just in his shorts. He hadn’t had time to put on a shirt yet when Kyungsoo had attacked his hair with a towel.

“You’re going to get a cold if you don’t dry your hair properly,” Kyungsoo said as he poked at Jongin’s forehead.

“Wait, is that really true?” Jongin asked, looking at the smaller male. Kyungsoo was fully dressed in his clothes, a small towel slung over his shoulders.

“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo confessed with a small smile as he rubbed behind Jongin’s ears softly. “That’s just what my mom always told me so I always say that to Taejung now too.”

“Well if I get a cold, someone will just have to come take care of me,” Jongin said smugly.

“Everyone does say I make good chicken soup,” Kyungsoo nodded, grabbing Jongin’s shirt and handing it to him.

“Then come and take care of me when I’m sick,” Jongin said feeling bold. He slipped on his shirt and Kyungsoo began to fuss over him again, fixing the collar and straightening out the wrinkles.

“Get sick first and then I’ll think about it,” Kyungsoo responded with a little smile.

They created their own ice cream sundaes after that, making note of the place so that they could take the boys again later. There were all types of sprinkles and toppings and Jongin was worried of the sugar high that the boys would get but their happiness was worth the few hours of endless energy that the dads would have to deal with. Exhausted with their packed day, the two of them made it back to their room and flopped on the bed.

“It’s only five and I feel like we’ve conquered the world today,” Jongin groaned, burying his head into a pillow.

“We still have five hours till we have to pick up the kids,” Kyungsoo said. “What else should we do?”

“What else is there to do?” Jongin asked. They had an arcade and mini golfing but they had decided to save those activities to do with the boys.

“We could-” Kyungsoo began hesitantly, looking at Jongin, “we could go clubbing.”

“Clubbing?” Jongin repeated. “At five?”

“I heard their club is pretty popping,” Kyungsoo cringed at his own words. “Baekhyun’s description, not mine,” he clarified at the end. “They open early but it’s always packed because, hey, everyone here is on vacation and wants a good time.”

“You really want to go clubbing?” Jongin asked.

“We don’t have to,” Kyungsoo said quickly, remembering Jongin’s past with clubs. “We can do something else if you want to.”

“Clubbing is fine,” Jongin nodded his head. He was grown up now. He could control himself. “Did you bring clubbing clothes though?”

“Baekhyun packed me some of his stuff,” Kyungsoo mumbled sheepishly. “I haven’t been to a club since before Taejung was born and I kinda wanted to check it out and see if it’s still really as fun as everyone says.”

“Let’s go then,” Jongin said. “If it’s lame we can always dip and pick up the kids and do something else.”

Jongin had a pair of nice gray jeans and a black and white striped tee that he paired with a black bomber jacket. He mentally thanked his sister for forcing him to pack some stylish clothes and not just his swim trunks and training clothes. Kyungsoo stepped out in a pair of super tight, ripped black jeans and a white shirt tucked in with red lettering on it. He had a red jacket on too but it didn’t drown out his slim body. His plump thighs looked like they were ready to burst out of the tight jeans and Jongin had to hold back a groan.

“Do I look okay?” Kyungsoo asked self consciously, fixing his hair. “These pants feel too tight. I didn’t think that my thighs were fatter than Baekhyun’s.”

“You look hot,” Jongin blurted out unapologetically. “You look really good, Kyungsoo.”

“Well you ready to hit the club then?” Kyungsoo asked, eyeing Jongin’s outfit too.

“I don’t think the club is ready for us,” Jongin laughed as he held out his hand to Kyungsoo.

Although it was still light outside, the moment they stepped into Club Renegade, it truly did feel like it was the right time of night to party. The DJ had heavy bass thumping throughout the entire place and Jongin could feel his blood pumping to the beat of it. There were bodies already pressed close together on the main dance floor and the smell of alcohol and smoke sat in the air thickly. He couldn’t believe that this used to be his main scene five years ago.

“Do you want a drink?” Jongin yelled loudly so Kyungsoo could hear him over the music. Kyungsoo nodded and they made their way to the bar counter, where there were luckily a few seats open. Jongin kept a hand on Kyungsoo’s waist while they walked so that he wouldn’t lose the other male in the crowd. He ordered two beers and two shots for them right away.

“Just to loosen up,” Jongin told him, leaning in close so they could hear each other. “We don’t want to pick up the kids drunk.”

“That would be bad,” Kyungsoo agreed with a laugh. The shots came out first and Jongin watched as Kyungsoo downed his smoothly before he drank his too. Then the beer came and they sipped at that slowly, watching people stumble and dance by as they waited for the alcohol to hit their systems.

“You want to dance?” Kyungsoo asked him, looking up nervously at Jongin.

“Only if you want to,” Jongin said, taking another swig of his beer.

“Let’s go then,” Kyungsoo said, setting down his can and grabbing Jongin’s arm. He was lead to the middle of the dance floor and before he knew it there were warm bodies surrounding him on all sides and he could feel the energy of the crowd coursing through him. He threw his hands up and began to move his body along to the beat, watching as Kyungsoo waved his hips along too. He was mesmerized as Kyungsoo danced to the music, looking carefree as his body rolled perfectly in synch with each rhythm. After two remixes, someone bumped into Kyungsoo and Jongin caught him, pulling him close against his body and holding his hips tightly.

“Mr. Slippery Superhero,” Kyungsoo teased him as they moved against each other, the music drowning out and only the bass pounding through their heads as they focused on dancing with each other. Kyungsoo turned around, his plush backside pressing right against Jongin’s crotch and Jongin slipped his arms around the smaller male’s waist to keep them pressed together. Kyungsoo threw his hands up in the air before wrapping them as best as he could around Jongin’s neck and Jongin smiled against Kyungsoo’s ear as their bodies continued to sway to the bass.

It was unbelievably hot and sweaty and the growing discomfort in Jongin’s pants was clearly present but Kyungsoo didn’t move away, instead turning around again so that their fronts were pressed together and their foreheads were touching. Jongin could feel Kyungsoo’s heavy breaths falling against his neck.

“You’re good at this,” he teased Kyungsoo as they practically grinded on each other.

“I have no idea what I’m doing,” Kyungsoo admitted as he threw his head back with a small giggle. “It just feels right.”

“It does,” Jongin agreed, tilting Kyungsoo’s head forward so that they were touching again. Jongin’s hands were all over Kyungsoo’s hips and ass, squeezing and groping as much as he could and Kyungsoo was clinging onto Jongin’s shoulders as their hips and crotches rubbed against each other. They danced for a while longer, lost in each other’s touches and breathes until a song that Kyungsoo hated began to play.

“I hate this song,” he stopped moving and unhooked himself from Jongin. The mood was obviously killed and he pushed back his sweaty hair.

“You want another shot?” Jongin pulled him back against him and asked, way too close to his hear to be normal but neither of them minded.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo nodded. They made their way back to the bar but it was full now so Jongin ordered two more shots before they moved to a less packed area of the club. Kyungsoo was leaning against a wall with his eyes closed as he caught his breath. He was glistening with sweat but Jongin still thought he looked ethereal.

“One for you,” Jongin handed Kyungsoo his shot. “And one for me.” They drank them together and Kyungsoo laughed again leaning forward to rest against Jongin.

“Is it everything like you remembered?” he asked.

“It smells the same,” Jongin nodded, “the people are the same, the dances are the same, the music is the same but this time it seems like it’s more fun.”

“Why?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Because you’re here,” Jongin answered simply. He had never had this much fun at a club before and he wasn’t even smashed like he used to get. Kyungsoo looked up and their eyes caught each other. They stared at each other for a few seconds and all of a sudden, all the mushy gushy emotions from their yoga session early that morning came flooding in and then they were kissing. Jongin’s mouth molded against Kyungsoo’s as their tongues slipped past each other and licked at each other hungrily. Kyungsoo wrapped his arms around Jongin’s neck and dragged him closer to him, unashamedly moaning into the athlete’s mouth as he was backed against the wall. Their kiss was wet and long as Jongin sucked at Kyungsoo’s plump bottom lip before going back to licking into Kyungsoo’s mouth and drawing sweet sounds out of him.

“Room,” Kyungsoo breathed out when they broke apart for air. “Now.” Kyungsoo didn’t have to say another word and Jongin was leading them quickly out of the club and into the nearest elevator to get back to their floor. They didn’t kiss in the elevator or halls, since many families were still out and about but as soon as Jongin kicked their door shut and Kyungsoo had closed the sheer curtains, Jongin was on Kyungsoo like a blanket, covering his entire body with his as they kissed long and hard again.

Kyungsoo pushed him away to quickly shed his clothes and Jongin did the same, whipping his shirt over his head and tossing it behind him. Kyungsoo was lying down now, shirtless and his hips arched upwards as he struggled to get the jeans off his hips. Jongin chuckled and leaned down to suck at Kyungsoo’s collarbone as he wriggled off his own jeans.

“Need help down there?” he asked amused, once he was done marking Kyungsoo’s pale skin.

“Just get them off already,” Kyungsoo whined as he pushed his hips forwards to meet Jongin’s. The athlete sat back and helped Kyungsoo slide the jeans off his body and the moment the constricting pants were gone, he had a lapful of Kyungsoo and they were grinding hard and kissing breathlessly again. Kyungsoo’s hands were running all over Jongin’s hair and down his back and it felt amazing.

“You’re not drunk?” Jongin asked in between kisses.

“Two shots and three quarters of a can are fucking nothing,” Kyungsoo said as he kissed his way down Jongin’s neck and began sucking his own mark against Jongin’s skin.

“Good,” Jongin said, flipping them around so Kyungsoo was lying flat on his back, his head cushioned by the pillows. He took in the smaller male’s perfect, sweaty body and licked his lips, ready to devour Kyungsoo. “Because I want you to remember this night.”

 

 

Jongin woke up to Kyungsoo’s hands lazily tracing patterns across his chest and he snuggled in closer, kissing the other man’s head. They were both still satisfyingly naked underneath the covers and Jongin loved the sensation of Kyungsoo’s smooth skin brushing against his.

“How long have you been awake,” he asked, looking down at Kyungsoo’s precious face.

“Like ten minutes,” Kyungsoo said leaning up to kiss Jongin’s jaw. “Not too long.”

“You feeling okay?” Jongin asked, a little worried. He knew it had been years since Kyungsoo had had sex with another person. It had been the same for him.

“I feel wonderful, Jongin,” Kyungsoo confessed, cupping the other male’s cheek in his soft palms. “It was really wonderful,” he turned a little shy.

“It really was,” Jongin agreed, closing his eyes in bliss. Everything had been perfect from the way their bodies had fit together to Kyungsoo’s beautiful moans and the amazing climax at the end. He had Kyungsoo trembling on top of him after they both had came and his toes had curled as he had spilled deep inside of Kyungsoo.

“Why did you even have condoms and lube?” Kyungsoo asked amusedly as he lifted himself to lie on top of Jongin, his legs straddling the athlete’s waist. Jongin could feel Kyungsoo’s soft cock resting between their bellies and he took a hand and traced it down Kyungsoo’s full ass before squeezing it.

“Shikyung found them on our first day here,” Jongin laughed remembering the incident. “I guess someone left it and forgot it or housekeeping just fills each room with it. Either way it became very useful.”

“Very useful,” Kyungsoo agreed with a quiet chuckle. Jongin took his chin and they kissed again, sweet and simple this time. Kyungsoo let out a content sigh and dropped his head down onto Jongin’s chest.

“So what happens now,” he asked, insecurity in his voice. Jongin intertwined their hands together and brought them up to his mouth to kiss.

“I like you Kyungsoo,” he confessed. “I know we just met but I really like you and I think we have something really special. You’re good with Shikyung and I’m good with Taejung and I really believe that we have something worth fighting for. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before and I don’t really want to let you go at the end of this trip. I want to keep on seeing you and not just for the sake of our kids.”

“You really like me?” Kyungsoo asked, looking up at Jongin again. “All I am going to be is a simple English teacher with a son out of wedlock.”

“And I’m an athlete with a bad reputation also with a son out of wedlock,” Jongin pecked his lips again. “But you can call me Mr. Slippery Superhero.” Kyungsoo laughed against Jongin’s mouth, his eyes crinkling up.

“I like you too,” Kyungsoo told him. “And we do have something special. It must be really special because we ended up here together.”

“If anything I should be the one worried,” Jongin held Kyungsoo closer against him. “I have more baggage than just a son out of wedlock. Your parents might disapprove of me because you know, the whole nation knows how badly I fucked up in the past. I travel a lot during season and sometimes I don’t see Shikyung for two weeks. I’m so tired that I forget to shower and just pass out on the couch full of sweat. I’m super forgetful. I think I’ve lost four pairs of apple pods in the past three months.”

“Sounds like you need me to take care of you,” Kyungsoo grinned, feelings not faltering a bit.

“I do,” Jongin nodded. “I need you and maybe Shikyung needs you too. He cried the other day at the village because I told him that we weren’t getting married.”

“Is this a proposal Kim Jongin?” Kyungsoo asked, pretending to be scandalized. “It’s much too soon for that.”

“It’s gonna happen,” Jongin laughed, rubbing his nose against Kyungsoo’s. “Trust me babe, I’ll make it happen.”

They picked up the kids after showering and calling house cleaning to replace the sweat and pleasure stained sheets. Taejung and Shikyung both had their faces painted and polaroid pictures of their day at the aquatic reserve and they were so excited to tell their parents about everything that they couldn’t even sleep yet. Taejung had a small otter on his right cheek and Shikyung had a whale on his.

“And Shikyung was afraid of feeding the turtle but I helped him and then we both fed the turtles but one of them got into the bucket and ate all the food and it was so funny,” Taejung rambled on excitedly as Kyungsoo and Jongin sat at the side of the tub and gave both boys a bubble bath. Jongin plopped a pile of bubbles on top of Taejung’s head and Shikyung resurfaced with a bubble beard around his little face.

“And the scientist really liked my whale sounds!” Shikyung told them! “I told him when I grow up I want to be a whale!”

“How about you just be a scientist?” Jongin said, pouring a cup full of water over his son’s head.

“No, I’m gonna be a whale,” Shikyung decided. “Daddy you have to come visit me in the ocean.”

“Alrighty then,” Jongin laughed, “I’ll come visit you in the ocean.”

“I’m glad you boys had fun,” Kyungsoo told them, grabbing the towels to start drying them off and getting them ready for bed. “Did you miss us though?”

“So much!” Shikyung said standing up and stretching his arms wide. “We missed you this much!” Kyungsoo grabbed him out of the tub and began to towel him off.

“Well tomorrow is our last day so we’re gonna spend all day together,” Jongin said as he grabbed Taejung. “We’re going to the arcade and then we’re going to eat ice cream and we can swim in the pool and play mini golf.”

“And then we can watch a movie underneath the stars,” Kyungsoo said. “After that we pack and go to sleep and say bye bye in the morning.” They had the same flight home back to Korea and Kyungsoo had already checked in online and made sure they were sitting in the same row.

“We have to say bye bye?” Shikyung asked, looking very sad all of a sudden.

“Not for a long time, buddy,” Jongin said, hugging him close.

“We have to have a lot of fun tomorrow then!” Shikyung said determinedly.

“We’re going to have lots and lots of fun tomorrow,” Kyungsoo promised him.

The boys quickly settled down in bed, tired from their long day and once Kyungsoo made sure they were deep asleep, he joined Jongin on the couch, lying on top of him. They kissed quietly and giggled, feeling like teenagers hiding from their parents.

“So beautiful,” Jongin whispered as he kissed Kyungsoo’s fingers.

“Talking about yourself?” Kyungsoo responded with a glint in his eyes.

“I kinda don’t want to go back to Korea,” Jongin said.

“Why not?” Kyungsoo asked, with a cock of his head.

“Because I won’t see you and Taejung every day,” Jongin answered.

“We’ll visit as much as we can,” Kyungsoo promised. “I still have a few weeks till I start teaching too and you’re still on off season so we have lots of time together.”

“You think a few weeks is enough time to get you to move in with us?” Jongin asked shamelessly.

“It might be,” Kyungsoo laughed. “My brother is going to freak out when he finds out I’m dating you.”

“So if I sign a poster for him, he won’t kick my ass or anything, right?” Jongin asked.

“If anything, I’ll kick his ass because he’ll want to hog you and talk about soccer with you all the time,” Kyungsoo snorted.

“Nobody can steal me away from you,” Jongin grinned, squeezing Kyungsoo tightly. “Well except maybe our daughter.”

“Our daughter?” Kyungsoo asked, taken aback.

“Well the boys want a sister,” Jongin reminded him playfully. “We should keep that in mind and get working on it as soon as possible.”

“You’re silly just like them,” Kyungsoo said with an affectionate laugh. “We can work on that though. As soon as we have more private time together,” he finished his sentence with a low whisper.

“We’ll find babysitters,” Jongin promised him with another kiss.

“Daddy?” two small voices woke them up the next morning. Kyungsoo was still on Jongin’s chest and he quickly sat up and Jongin woke up too, looking a little flustered. Kyungsoo was supposed to have gone back and slept with the boys but he ended up sleeping while they were making out.

“Why are you two sleeping on the couch?” Taejung asked, eyes switching between the two parents.

“Did you two…” Shikyung began slowly, the smile growing wider on his face with each passing second, “kiss?” he finished, all his front teeth showing as he couldn’t conceal his happiness anymore.

“Umm,” Kyungsoo coughed, not knowing how to respond. They hadn’t talked about how soon they were to tell the boys about their relationship yet.

“We did,” Jongin said with a big smile of his own, pecking Kyungsoo on the lips sweetly. “We did kiss.”

“Yay!” Shikyung cheered, throwing his hands up in the air and running around the room. He grabbed Taejung by the shoulders and shook him.

“We have two daddies now! Two!” He held up two fingers and did a happy dance.

“Two?” Taejung asked a little confused. “Two?” he repeated, turning to look at Kyungsoo.

“Is that okay, baby?” Kyungsoo asked, becoming a little worried at Taejung’s reaction.

“Two is good,” he nodded, smiling at Jongin. “I have two daddies.” His face became brighter as he said that and Kyungsoo felt relieved.

“And we have two babies,” Jongin said grabbing Taejung and tickling his stomach. The boy erupted in laughter and Shikyung started laughing too. Kyungsoo picked him up and Shikyung snuggled against him.

“Are you happy?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Very happy,” Shikyung nodded.

“Two daddies and two babies,” Kyungsoo said with a smile. It sounded perfect to him.


End file.
